Mender's Tale
by The Rhombus
Summary: Based upon a roleplay with Historian1912 and set in the Seven Hunters continuity. Mender has the reputation as being the best healer in the Mysterious Beyond, helping all who require it, but that was not always the case. Follow Mender as she recalls how a lowly fastbiter eventually found her place in life once she met a most unusual pack. This is Mender's Tale.
1. Prologue

**I would like to send a special thanks to the co-author of the roleplay which led to this story, Historian1912. **

**Just as a reminder, this story is set in the Seven Hunters continuity. So, if you have not already read them, knowledge of the Seven Hunters and its sequel, Songs of the Hunters, will be necessary to understand everything that is going on. Links to both of those stories can be found on my profile.  
**

-v-

 **Prologue**

 **Several years before the events of Songs of the Hunters:**

"Taunt, will you put that thing away and get to sleep?"

The orange fastbiter glanced at his companion with an amused expression. In response to her question he merely lifted the swimmer's severed head and tilted his own. "What, dear? Are you jealous of last night's dinner?"

The yellow fastbiter groaned in response and struggled to keep her voice level so as not to wake the others.

"I don't see what all of you boys see in that silly game…" She then turned and covered her head with her claws as if to shut out the rest of the world. "Besides, you all know that I will win the game tomorrow."

Taunt laughed as he tossed the swimmer's head aside. "We will see about that, dear. Your unbeaten streak at 'Capture the Head' will have to end sooner or later!"

As the male fastbiter dodged a playful nip from his mate, he carefully lay down beside her. It was just another peaceful night for the pack.

* * *

Violet bit back a cry of pain and frustration when she tripped for the third time that night. _Ow. Not again_. She didn't dare look around for sympathy, though. If her pack leader even noticed she would be very surprised.

"You okay?" Tracker, a somewhat smaller and younger packmate of Violet's, quietly asked her friend.

"I'm fine," Violet whispered back, trying not to be heard.

Much to the girls' relief their pack leader had them stop. "We'll wait here until Dodger gets back," he said. The girls only nodded in response.

"He'll be back soon," Tracker assured her friend.

"I know," Violet said. She shifted uneasily as she nervously scanned her pack leader. _Prowler isn't going to be happy if he takes too long._

Violet couldn't help but flinch when Prowler glanced her way. It was no secret that he didn't like her, and the feeling was mutual. _Come on, Dodger. Hurry up and get back._

* * *

Petrie yawned deeply.

"Nothing out here tonight… not that me would see anything anyway."

The boundaries of the pack's territory seemed intact as the scent markings had been replaced mere hours before. Likewise, each pack member was sleeping in their sleeping spots and had pointed sticks at their disposal in the event of an alert. It was ironic in many ways that the pack's unending paranoia actually let them to sleep easier at night than most packs.

"Anything out there, Spotter?"

Petrie looked down at the mention of his sharptooth name. A green fastbiter with a teal crest greeted him down below. _That right,_ Petrie remembered, _It be Finder's turn to be on night watch._

"Nothing, Finder. Happy watching!"

Spike rolled his eyes at this. Being on watch duty was not an exciting job at all.

"Thanks, Spotter, though I think I will be bored out of my mind."

Petrie merely chuckled and gave a nod in sympathy. He did not envy Spike staying up all night on a perfect evening like they had today.

Groaning once more for good measure, Spike called upon the other watcher to take her position.

"Ponder, you ready?"

The rose-colored fastbiter arose from the shadows with two spears in her hand. Carefully, she handed one to Spike and then pointed her own spear towards the ground.

"I am as ready as I will ever be. So let's hurry up and get ready!"

* * *

It didn't take long for Dodger to get back. "I found a spot we can rest for the night," he announced.

Prowler just nodded in acknowledgement and gestured for Dodger to lead the way.

Violet was almost shocked at how short the walk was. _What took him so long?_ , she wondered. The short walk didn't stop her from complaining when they stopped, though. "Why didn't we stop earlier when there were better spots?"

"What was that?" Prowler snapped.

"Nothing," Violet replied, carefully backing away. _I'm dead._

Dodger deliberately stepped between his sister and Prowler, pointedly facing his pack leader.

Prowler looked like he was about to say something but thought better of it. "Get some rest," he commanded instead before lying down to do just that.

Violet had no problem following that order. She was asleep almost before she was on the ground.

Dodger laid down next to her but didn't try to sleep. Someone has to keep watch.

"Room for one more?" Tracker asked. Dodger gestured to the spot next to him.

Tracker happily accepted the invitation. She was tired, but chances to talk to her friend when he wasn't acting as pack deputy were rare. She could sleep later.

* * *

Ruby slowly strolled beside the stream. After several months in this new place their pattern had become a routine. One watcher would watch the open fields for any sign of disturbances, whereas the other would walk in front of the stream. It was a simple pattern which led to efficiency.

However it also led to boredom.

"I wish that I had something to do besides this thing that I am doing!" Ruby hissed in annoyance as she kicked a stick into the stream. She would rather be doing anything else right now. Sleeping beside Littlefoot… playing Capture the Head… hunting something…

 _But someone has to keep watch_ , she admitted to herself, _I just wish it was someone else tonight._

Ruby shook her head. Complaining wouldn't change anything so she resumed her steady trek across the woods. The stream was the only sound as its gentle waters flowed over rock and sticks. The only scent that could be smelled was the subtle smell of fastbiters.

 _That is exactly what I should smell from our markings_ , Ruby observed, _we have to tell the others to stay away somehow, and…_

Ruby stopped as her heart began to quicken. The pack never left scent markings by the stream as they did not want to contaminate the water. So the fact that fastbiters could be smelled here…

She ran to the stream edge and quickly tried to examine the source of the scent. That was when she saw them.

Footprints. The pack was not alone.

* * *

 **Alright, it took a while, but now it is time to begin Mender's Tale! (: This story is directly derived from a roleplay created by Historian1912 and myself, and though the pacing and subject-matter is based more on interpersonal interactions than my previous stories, I think it is certainly a worthy addition to the series that adds a lot to the backstories of our beloved characters. The internal story can be considered an in-between-quel, taking place between the Seven Hunters and Songs of the Hunters. My current plan is to have weekly installments from this point forward.  
**

 **I hope that you have found this teaser to your liking, and I hope that you all have a wonderful week!  
**

 **Until next time,**

 **Rhombus**


	2. Chapter 1: An awkward introduction

**-v-**

 **Chapter 1: An awkward introduction**

 **Hanging Rock, after the events of Songs of the Hunters:**

"What happened?!"

Mender squirmed under the fastrunner's concerned expression. The fact that she was a fearsome predator and that Pearl was an omnivore made little difference to her.

"Um... That was kind of our fault."

Mender was spared the glares as her pack leader stepped forward with an apologetic bow. She had the lighter tones to her feathers that was common of females of her species, but had a posture that conveyed dominance. Cynnil soft-spoken words soon followed her placative gesture, "While I was explaining the situation to both of you, I sent the others to explain things to Arial."

The male fastrunner shook his head before sending his head into his hands in exasperation.

"Well, look at the bright side, ma'am. This is only the first misunderstanding this season," Buse, a light green member of Mender's odd pack noted. He had the dark green coloration typical of males, but had a noticeable kink in his tail.

"The season has only begun," Mender retorted with some regret. _We really should have learned to leave the pleasantries to Cynnil._ She did not allow her self-doubts to override her emotions, however, as she continued to examine Arial's eyes.

"Your eye holes aren't big, so that's a good sign," she noted absentmindedly, "Okay, try to follow my finger with your eyes."

As she moved her finger, Arial followed her finger by moving her head, which earned a shake of Arial's head, "Without moving your head."

Arial growled in annoyance but did as the fastbiter instructed.

"What are you doing?"

Mender did not turn to look at the male fastrunner as Orchid's curious voice called out, "I am testing her head. If her eye holes are normal, and her eyes are good at following, then that is a good sign."

"A good sign?" Orchid spoke impatiently as his scent reeked of so much concern and annoyance that even Mender could smell it, "So does that mean she is okay or not?"

Mender shrugged, "I still need to test her coordination." she then pointed at a feather on Orchid's back, "Okay, Arial, try to bite that feather."

Orchid tilted his head, "Wha..."

 **Chomp!**

"Ow! That was not my feather!"

Arial smiled, "No, but she did bite what she was aiming for," the siblings glared at one another for a moment as Orchid rubbed his back. It was only after suppressing a snort at seeing that display that Mender finally turned towards the parents with a relieved expression, "Pearl? Detras? She should be okay. She doesn't have the head sickness."

"Oh thank goodness!" Pearl erupted as she embraced her daughter in a hug, which earned an embarrassed squirm and an audible protest from Arial. Detras's relieved sigh could be heard by everyone in the cave.

"Well, um... our apologies for the unfortunate introduction. I wish I could say that things usually go smoothly when we make a nest call, but..."

Detras waved his hand to cut Cynnil's speech, "I can imagine. You are a pack of hidden runners and a fastbiter. I don't imagine most strangers sit around and wait for your explanations," Cynnil's expression was confirmation enough for Detras that he was right, "My question is: why did Petrie not tell us ahead of time? We haven't seen him in weeks."

"That would be because he is helping Path find some tail," Buse offered helpfully.

"Oh for the love of..." Mender exclaimed as she looked at Cynnil apologetically at her helper's blunt assessment. Cynnil, for her part, merely rolled her eyes.

"As our packmate so bluntly put it... yes, Spotter is leading Path to where some potential mates might be available. He felt the call shortly after the battle apparently."

Detras deadpanned, "So he figured that he would start a new battle after barely surviving the last one?"

Now it was Buse's turn to tilt his head in confusion. His question was answered by Pearl, however.

"Two footers need to have a territory before courting, but it usually is not the males who need the territory... the males need to try to get invited into... um..."

"And sometimes the females try to make sure the males are worthy by challenging them," Detras finished.

Buse looked horrified, which made Cynnil smile with amusement, "And you thought our kind's way was difficult, huh?"

Perhaps out of embarrassment or nervousness, Buse began to prepare some no-infection sap by crushing two of the bulbs they had gathered for that purpose. For the first time in several moments Buse appeared to be at a loss for words.

Conversations about mating always made Mender feel uncomfortable. Nonetheless her concern for Chomper was obvious, "I hope that he is alright."

It was only then that Orchid seemed to soften his agitated facade, "Chomper is strong and smart. I am sure that he will find himself a nice mate that likes him."

"...or at least have enough sense to run off," Arial added.

Mender smiled, "I haven't heard him called Chomper in a long time..." she then carefully took the sap and began to cover Arial's cuts with the substance, "Not since I was a member of Seeker's pack."

This earned stunned expressions from all of the fastrunners. When they had a moment to process her words, however, they spoke nearly simultaneously.

"You were..."

"...my sister's packmate?

Mender was surprised by the reaction, but then promptly realized that she shouldn't have been. _Idiot. This is Ponder's family. Of course they would find this to be important._

"It is a long story," Mender paused as she finished up work on Arial's leg, "It was before I was really an adult, or called Mender."

Detras's beak clicked in surprise, "You met them as a child?"

Mender laughed, "I guess you could say that. I had not had my first hunt yet."

Silence fell on the fastrunners for several moments as Mender finished her work on Arial's leg. That was when she realized that her current audience did not consist of predators like her. _Me and my big mouth..._

"But you had your first hunt with them. I remember the song."

 _Thanks, Buse. Even in my most awkward moments you make me appear reasonable._

"Perhaps we could hear the song too?"

Mender stared at Arial. Much to her surprise the fastrunner's face communicated no trepidation at the mention of predation. Her brother's reaction was even more unexpected.

"If the song involves sis's antics then it must be good! Just don't repeat the verses like she does... Ow! Mom!"

Mender could only look on in a mixture of bewilderment and amusement as the fastrunners laughed at the antics of the siblings, though this did not reduce her embarrassment at being asked to sing about that particular part of her life. Looking towards her pack leader, however, provided Mender with no reprieve.

"Yes, a song would be a nice way to introduce ourselves, don't you think?"

 _Crap. I wonder if this is what a trapped ground fuzzy feels like..._ "If... all of you are sure..."

"Yeah!" came Orchid's response as he carefully moved his tail out of reach of his mother and sister. The welcoming faces of the relieved mother and Mender's current patient confirmed that Orchid's assessment was shared by all.

"And we can share some of our tales as well. Though I imagine Ruby has told you many of them."

Mender tilted her head, "She mentioned some of them in her pack's song."

"It took me awhile to memorize that," Arial noted with pride.

"Well I would hope so! It nearly took a day to sing the damn thing!" Orchid was prepared this time, and leapt out of the way of his sister's bite.

"My song is not quite that long," Mender laughed. Their antics reminded her of a pack that she had met several years prior, "But I hope that you all find it worth remembering."

Detras and Pearl gestured for their guests to have a seat near the opening of the cave. Keeping in mind the fastrunner tradition, Pearl spoke next.

"Our apologies for not offering you food... we obviously did not know you were coming."

Mender blinked in confusion, _Why would they be expected to provide us with food?_

"Um... it is our custom to provide the meal," Cynnil offered as Buse suddenly left the cave to grab the few fish that the pack had gathered a few hours prior during their preparations to meet the fastrunners.

 _Well those preparations were kind of pointless,_ Mender noted, as she awkwardly spoke up, "Buse is getting some fish. We... um caught them a while ago."

"Sigh... so you spent time gathering fish, and you sent hidden runners to explain things to all of us, but yet it still ended up with my sister tumbling down a ledge?" Orchid questioned with amusement in his voice.

Mender looked down, _This happens every time._

"Don't be sad, Mender. This just means that you have the same luck as my sister's pack," Arial offered while glaring at her brother, "They went out to touch a rock and ended up as sharpteeth. Nothing ever turns out normal for them, but they are still here."

Cynnil smiled, "From what Mender sung to us it seems that they were like that even as leaf-eaters."

"They were," Detras affirmed as he finally sat down, "And her siblings aren't any better..."

"Dad!"

Mender blinked at the reaction of the siblings as Buse carefully dumped his handful of fish in front of the group. Cynnil's reaction was equally uncertain.

"And neither are her parents, as recent events have proved," Pearl added with a knowing smile as she handed a fish to her mate, "But enough about our mistakes... perhaps you could tell us how you met our daughter?"

Mender took a deep breath as she tried to process the sudden change in mood, _Ponder's family is as confusing as Seeker's pack._ "Well my brother and friend are in the song before I make an appearance. It all started with a misunderstanding."

"Of course it did... uph!" Buse was suddenly silenced by Cynnil stuffing a fish in his face.

 _Well I should probably begin before my helper decides to 'help' again._

Mender briefly turned her attention outside of the cave and focused on the bright Night Circle and the numerous stars surrounding it. _Well, ancestors, let's see if I can carry a tune this time. And Taunt's ancestors? No laughing up there!_

She turned back towards her audience and hesitantly cleared her voice, _Come on, Mender, you can do this!_

"Well, I won't keep you all waiting. I will now sing you the song of how I met Seeker's pack."

 **It all began when the shelter we took**

 **Was on the wrong side of the stream**

 **Our pack of four was about to face**

 **A threat from the night serene...**

* * *

 **Several years prior - moments after the events of the prologue:**

Dodger had come close to dozing off when a scent passed across his nose. _Fastbiter. Outsider._

Both Dodger and Tracker were instantly on their feet. Tracker, living up to her name, locked onto the scent first and started pursuing it. Dodger hurriedly woke Prowler and Violet.

"We're not alone. Stay down," the deputy said to the two former sleepers before darting after his friend.

Dodger soon caught up with Tracker. The green fastbiter gave the signal for 'I see one'. Dodger nodded.

Tracker gestured towards the fastbiter, wanting to get closer. Dodger pointed to Tracker then himself, making it clear to Tracker she wasn't going alone.

The duo split up, Dodger moving hard to the left while Tracker stayed directly behind their target.

Tracker kept closer, closer than Dodger would consider safe. One mistaken step told her why.

 **Crack!**

Spike swerved around in alarm at the sudden sound. In an instant he saw what had made the commotion.

A green fastbiter stared back at him. His reaction was nearly instinctual.

"Who are you, and why are you here?!"

Tracker stammered. She'd been caught and was far too close to make a run for it.

"Um...I..uh." Tracker really didn't know what to say. She started to back away slowly.

Dodger, fortunately, had been watching Tracker and quietly moved closer, coming in behind the larger fastbiter.

Spike was entirely focused on the female fastbiter. Her fear motivated him to press the issue.

"This is the land of Seeker and his pack!" He bared his teeth at the newcomer. "Unless you come bringing a peace offering then you are not welcome here!"

The fastbiter continued to back away, but then he noticed something. She seemed to be staring at something behind him.

 _Shit! Ambush!_

He barely had time to turn around before the other fastbiter was upon him.

* * *

 _This is going to hurt_ , Dodger thought as he leapt at his opponent. He was surprised to encounter more stick than fastbiter, though.

Wanting to help, Tracker made her own leap while the large fastbiter was distracted.

"Ahhh!"

Spike screamed out of surprise as Tracker slammed against his back and slashed against his flesh. Out of instinct more than anything else, he swerved to the left and collapsed to the ground. In a swift motion he again rose from the ground and aimed his spear at the female.

"Yield or die!"

* * *

Ruby was nearly out of breath as she sprinted towards the sleeping areas. She did not want to call out an alert and lose the element of surprise, but she had to alert the pack immediately nonetheless. If she couldn't do that with her voice then she would have to do that with her feet.

She nearly collapsed in front of Littlefoot, which caused him to jump up in surprise. In an instant everyone was awake.

"Ponder, what is it?!"

Ruby took a gasping breath. "Fastbiters! Fastbiters have invaded our territory!"

" **Ahhhhh!"**

The rest of the pack stared in the direction of Spike's booming voice. It seemed that the battle had already begun. Not wasting any time, Littlefoot gave the alert call to Chomper for a fastbiter invasion then, with a booming voice, addressed the rest of his pack.

"Grab your pointed sticks! We have to save Finder!"

* * *

Dodger was not a dinosaur prone to losing sense when angered. Threatening Tracker, however, was one of two things that made him go from fighting mad to murderous. The other was threatening Violet, which wasn't a safe option even when Dodger wasn't around.

His vision turned red, Dodger leaped at Spike, intent on tearing the larger fastbiter's throat out. All he succeeded in doing was unbalancing Spike enough that he had to retreat a couple fastbiter lengths to avoid creating a fatal opening.

Tracker scrambled to her feet and all but hid behind Dodger. She was nearly scared out of her mind.

Spike weaved to his left as the rampaging fastbiter again tried to lunge at his throat.

 _All I need is a clear shot…_

He stayed back, however, and avoided making a bold move. He knew that his spear was the great equalizer in this battle. If he were to overextend himself then he might lose his spear, and then his life would follow.

 _Come on, you idiot! Come a bit closer…_

Spike raised his spear a bit higher as if he were trying to impale something just above Dodger's head. Then, with deliberate slowness, he edged backwards as if he were about to flee.

 _Let's see if you take the bait…_

Dodger wasn't quite sure what to make of the stick, but he had cooled off enough to see that he was being baited. He intentionally started backing up a few steps.

One. Two. Three.

"Tracker, run!" Dodger shouted as he turned to do the same. He practically pushed Tracker into running at an angle to her original direction, almost directly towards the stream. They couldn't risk leading this guy back to the others. Hopefully they could outrun him or at least make him lose interest. Or better yet get out of this territory.

* * *

Littlefoot panted with exertion as he and the others sprinted towards Spike's scream.

 _Hold on, Finder! We are coming!_

His legs burned with energy as he hands shook with anticipation. Ruby's alert about foreign fastbiters had stunned him, but Spike's scream had made his surprise turn to red-hot rage.

Now he wanted blood.

"There!"

Breeze's call broke Littlefoot out of his daze as she hissed in the direction of the intruders.

Littlefoot focused his eyes on the scene ahead of him. It appeared that Breeze had made the observation before he could even process it. The green body of Spike could be seen running through the distant grass, while the shaking grass ahead of him indicated the source of his determined sprint. Spike had the intruders on the run.

"Chase and kill!" Littlefoot barked out with unusual vitriol, "No one attacks our home! No one!"

The aggressive shouts of the others echoed his sentiments as the pack spread out into a line with their spears aimed ahead of them.

The other pack may have started the fight, but they were determined to end it. Like the roar before the arrival of a storm their shrieks of rage could be heard into the night.

The chase was on.

* * *

Violet could hear numerous shrieks in the distance. Her heart sank. It sounded like a whole pack of fastbiters had found her brother and her friend.

"We've got to help them!" Violet nearly shrieked at Prowler, who had yet to move since hearing the enemy fastbiters.

"How?" Prowler demanded, "Did you not hear all that? There's got to be at least twice our number even if Dodger and Tracker were here."

"So you're just going to leave them?!"

"If it saves the rest of the pack, then yes."

"There won't be much of a pack without them!" Violet could barely stop herself from attacking Prowler. _You... you coward._

The pack leader turned away. "He'd come after you!" Violet shouted. She was beyond angry now. _My brother is a better leader than you could ever be._

"We are leaving," Prowler hissed dangerously.

"Make me," Violet hissed back, putting every ounce of contempt she had into the juvenile phrase. _I'm not leaving my brother, you pile of spiketail dung._

 _Why you little_ … Prowler lunged at Violet, slashing her across the nose.

Violet jerked back with a shriek of pain.

Rather than take advantage of Violet's distraction, Prowler froze. His eyes communicated rage but also something else, something Violet couldn't identify. In a moment that seemed to drag on for an eternity, Prowler turned and sprinted away, leaving a very confused and injured fastbiter in his wake.

Violet watched him go, still surprised there hadn't been another attack.

Hearing further shrieks, Violet turned towards the sound and ran to help what was left of her family and her pack.

* * *

Ducky growled in frustration at the two fastbiters in front of them. First they had invaded their home, and now they had attacked her brother. This unprovoked assault unleashed something primal in the green fastbiter. Something unexpected.

Her eyes narrowed at the retreating forms in front of her. One was pulling away from the rest of the pack despite their best run, whereas the other was still in their sights.

 _You will not get away from us! We will catch you, we will! We will!_

What happened next came to Ducky in a blur. It happened so fast that she was unaware if it came from instinct or her vindictive thoughts. All that she knew was that within a split second her spear had sailed from her hand and lifted off into the night sky. She only consciously registered her target when the spear was well on its way.

 _Let's see if you can dodge this!_

* * *

Tracker kept her focus on Dodger's tail. She did her best to keep up, but Dodger was unintentionally putting some distance between himself and her. She didn't dare look back.

All of a sudden she felt a slight sting and jerked away. Unfortunately for Tracker she overbalanced and sent her world spinning. She yelped in panic. Shaking herself off Tracker tried to start running again. She made it maybe three steps before going down once more.

Dodger was practically at Tracker's side the instant she hit the ground. "You okay?!" he asked worriedly.

"My leg's not working!" Tracker shrieked, her voice now conveying extreme pain as well as panic.

Dodger stared at the oncoming fastbiters. It nearly got him killed; a sharpened stick came less than a claw's length from impaling him in the throat.

Despite the chaos Dodger was completely calm. He accepted that he was probably going to die, but, if there was a chance of saving Tracker's life he was going to take it. She was his responsibility, and he really liked her. Oh, who was he kidding? If they both got out of this alive he was going to tell Tracker he loved her.

Tracker clutched her ankle mournfully as the sensation of feeling evaporated from it like ground sparkles on a warm day. Within the span of a few moments she had gone from being in peak physical condition to being an invalid who could not even rise from her prone position. She now realized that it was in this position that she would soon die.

A choked sob left her throat as she could hear the mindless horde approach her. She could only imagine what sort of end would await her at their hands. However, it was the falling of a single spear that broke her morose thoughts.

The spear had embedded itself mere inches away from her friend's throat. Yet, Dodger remained where he was, like a silent sentinel. Every expression and mannerism from him communicated his acceptance of his fate.

She frowned. He may accept that fate for himself, but she would be damned if she would be accepting of it.

"Run, Dodger! Save yourself!"

Her friend looked taken aback by her words, as if their implications were something that he refused to accept. His response came in a choked, barely understandable jumble of words.

"No, Tracker! I won't leave you here… you…"

Tracker growled as she closed her eyes in an effort to drown out the rising pain and fear. If she could not save herself then she could at least save him. For she knew exactly what he was trying to convey in this last few tense moments. They were feelings that she felt herself.

With a herculean effort she raised her hand and touched her friend's face. With a soft, firm voice that came from acceptance she spoke into his eyes.

"I love you too, Dodger, but you can't save me. Save yourself and live a good life. That is all that you can do for me now."

 _A good life? Without you I don't have a life worth living,_ Dodger thought before tearing his gaze from Tracker. He didn't respond verbally, but his actions made his intention clear. Planting himself between Tracker and the oncoming pack, Dodger got ready for what would was probably going to be the last fight of his life.

Littlefoot's roar echoed into the night. Within an instant all of the others had assumed an envelopment strategy and kept a wide berth around the stricken fastbiter and her defender. It was a maneuver that they had practiced many times before.

Ruby's face was grim as she raised her spear at the small male. The smell of desperation, anger, and fear emanated from him like smoke from a roaring fire. He obviously knew that this was his final battle.

 _Beware those who have nothing to lose,_ her thoughts cautioned.

She remained silent as Ducky took a position at Ruby's side. Despite no longer having her spear she could still provide backup.

"Was it worth it?"

Ruby turned in shock at Ducky's sudden question. It was an unspoken command that they should remain silent and let the pack leader do the talking, but it seemed that Ducky's rage had demands of its own.

"Was your worthless life worth attacking my brother, you fiends?!"

Dodger kept silent. There was nothing he could say that would be appropriate. He was pretty sure that _"Your brother threatened my friend when she was cowering."_ would not go over well.

"Or my mate, you bastard!" Breeze's enraged form suddenly appeared, her spear pointed directly at Dodger. She seemed to stop right where Ducky had terminated her advance, as if an invisible line existed there that only they could see.

Expecting an attack, especially from either of the fastbiters that spoke, Dodger crouched into a ready position.

Littlefoot took a deep breath in order to calm his already frayed nerves. He could not fault Ducky for her outburst, nor Spike's protective mate, but now was not the time. With a single raised hand he commanded silence.

"You are in our territory. We do not take kindly to that, intruder."

He circled to his left, as he gestured with his tail to the others. Two flicks to the left and one to the right. The meaning was clear in the pack's code. Within moments two of their number circled outward in case any other members of their pack attacked, and one quietly maneuvered to sneak behind Dodger.

But first he wanted answers.

"Who sent you? Or did you honestly think that you could challenge the pack that bested Redclaw? The pack that was ordained by the stone. The pack of Seeker."

He narrowed his eyes at the fastbiter as his friend began to howl in pain. He would get right down to business.

"Who are you, and why the fuck are you here?!"

Dodger knew who this pack was. He'd heard of them before. Trying to figure out a good way to respond to Seeker, or at least he assumed that was who was speaking, was a bit of a challenge. The brown fastbiter definitely seemed to be the one in charge. This was probably going to end badly if the fastbiters that disappeared and were probably coming around behind him were any indication, so being entirely polite would be a waste of effort.

"Is this how you treat wanderers? We've encountered no markers indicating the territory was claimed, and you attacked my friend when she wasn't even thinking of being a threat. You say you beat Redclaw. Congratulations on becoming his replacement," Dodger growled.

 _Congratulations on getting yourself killed, Dodger._ Almost paradoxically Dodger moved to one side of Tracker rather than remain in front of her so he could get a glimpse of what was definitely behind him.

He did his best to ignore Tracker's crying. There was nothing he could do for her. They would probably be going to the Great Beyond together in a moment.

Spike gripped his spear in a mixture of anger and agitation. His first instinct was to put a permanent end to the mouthy fastbiter, but his words had a greater impact than his features conveyed.

 _We didn't mark our territory by the stream…_

The look in the injured fastbiter's face was heartbreaking, but not as heartbreaking as the look in Dodger's eyes. He obviously knew that he was doomed.

 _Are we becoming the next Redclaw?_

That taunt had stung the hardest. In the past year they had undertaken some rather unsavory actions, from chasing away other packs to terrorizing herds. All of this was done into making a fearsome reputation and securing their territory from any challengers. But had they in the process lost sight of the bigger picture?

It was in that moment that he saw Littlefoot's gaze fall upon him. Of course, it was partially his choice. Spike had been the one who had been directly attacked, and thus it was his choice whether vengeance was still demanded. Despite his anger and the instinctual desire to shed the blood of his attackers, he knew what the right choice actually was.

" **Let him talk,** " Spike uttered in leaf-eater, " **No one has died yet today**."

Littlefoot nodded at Spike's words as the implications were clear. They would give the fastbiter a chance. Despite an angry growl from Breeze, she and Ducky remained silent as the tradition demanded. It had been Spike's choice.

With noticeable exhausted, Littlefoot spoke again in a disbelieving voice.

"You seriously had no idea where our territory was?"

"Had we known, we would have either tried to go around or turned back entirely. We haven't survived as long as we have by looking for trouble," Dodger answered. He was more than a bit surprised to still be alive but was already trying to figure out a way to survive this mess. He'd already decided it best to be as polite as possible from this point on lest he provoke an attack.

Littlefoot's spear shook slightly at the other fastbiter's words. The stench of fear was ever-present, but he could detect no subterfuge. However if that was true then that could only confirm one possibility.

"Who are you exactly?" Littlefoot attempted to shift the conversation in order to garner more information, "Who is your pack leader, and why is he not telling us all of this?"

"My name is Dodger, deputy to Prowler. The last time I saw him was back where we were sleeping. We smelled one of your guys and decided to investigate to get a better idea of our situation." Dodger managed to calm himself, mostly. He was afraid, but now he also had reason for hope. "It's something we do all the time, usually without anyone knowing we were there. Had Tracker here not stepped on a stick we would have withdrawn at least to the other side of the stream and gotten as far away as we could in the morning." Dodger wasn't sure if it was a good idea to mention what the other half of his pack was probably doing at the moment, especially since he wasn't entirely sure himself.

" **Spread out and stand watch!"**

Littlefoot's barked order echoed into the night as Dodger looked at him in confusion. The leaf-eater words sounded like bellows and screeches to the defeated fastbiter. Within moments only Ruby, Littlefoot, and Taunt were in front of the two fastbiters as the others took positions around the group.

"You will forgive us for not assuming that your friends have our best intentions at heart?" Taunt's words were obviously dripping with sarcasm, but they conveyed no obvious malice.

Ruby nodded though her attention was focused on something else entirely, "I think that will need to be treated. Otherwise we will not be able to treat it when we need to."

Littlefoot paused at the words of his companion. The pain from the silent fastbiter was obvious through her clenched jaw and tense claws. It was as if she were fighting a battle that she could not see.

"Where do you feel the pain? We need to know how far it has spread," Littlefoot asked softly.

"M-my leg," Tracker replied almost without thinking. She did her best to gesture to the area above her injury. The painful part encompassed most of her leg.

Dodger looked down quickly but didn't actually get closer to Tracker. He still wasn't sure what to make of the other pack; literally risking his neck wasn't an option right now.

"Then we don't have much time," Littlefoot's voice broke through Dodger's contemplation, "When the Orange Death reaches the chest then it is over."

Dodger just stared at the pack leader, at a loss for words. Tracker apparently wasn't.

"I'm going to die, aren't I?" Tracker asked sullenly. She had no idea how a poison could be stopped. She just tried to avoid them.

Littlefoot's face took on a determined expression that was equal parts reassuring and frightening, "Not if we can help it… Dodger, we will watch Tracker while you get the plants. You have asked us to believe a lot from you… now we ask the same of you."

Dodger looked at Tracker to give himself a moment to get himself under control. He didn't mind helping. He was more concerned about leaving Tracker alone.

"I'll need someone to help me find what is needed. The only plant I know of is the Night Flower, and Tracker taught me that," Dodger said, "I also have one condition. The one that threw the stick stays away from Tracker."

Silence reigned for several moments as the tension hung over the dinosaurs like a thick fog. The eyes of the pack leader stared deeply into the eyes of Dodger as neither blinked or averted their gaze. Littlefoot didn't change his expression as he spoke into the night.

"Taunt, accompany him. Haven… stay where you are."

Dodger had just gotten his conditions, but the pack had also gotten theirs. Alone with the pack, Tracker was entirely at their mercy if Dodger tried anything funny. A hostage in all but name.

Tracker bit back her objection at being left. Dodger definitely didn't look like he wanted to leave, and she didn't want to make him feel even worse.

Once Dodger was out of sight Tracker tried to get a good look around while not being too obvious about it. She trusted Dodger to do everything he could for her, but she did not trust the fastbiters currently with her. They scared her, the leader especially. She'd overheard a few stories about Redclaw over the years, despite Dodger and Prowler's efforts to not scare her and Violet more than necessary. If these fastbiters were to be believed, they had killed that monster. Why they hadn't just killed her already she'd never know. Didn't you have to be as ruthless as Redclaw to defeat Redclaw? The two fastbiters standing over her certainly looked the part.

"You should put some pressure on that to relieve the pain. The pain can be relieved by some pressure."

"What?" Tracker asked. She was surprised anyone was even talking to her. The repeat was just confusing.

"The pain can be relieved a little by pressure," Littlefoot confirmed, "I found that out when I had a little accident with the stuff…"

His voice was interrupted by a nervous chuckle. "I would not recommend practicing fighting with that stuff. It doesn't end well."

Tracker stared at the fastbiter. She wasn't sure if he was telling the truth or not. Just having a conversation was surreal enough. Who knew her first conversation with a fastbiter not in her group would be one that was trying to kill her just a little while ago?

Littlefoot leaned down and looked at the fallen fastbiter. "Believe it or not I do not enjoy killing, outsider. I hunt to eat; I kill to defend; but I do not kill for pleasure. If you honestly came across our territory by accident then the last thing that I want to see is for you take your final breath." Littlefoot paused for a moment as if he were thinking about something. "Speaking of which, I know that it is hard, but try to take small breaths. The poison travels faster as you breathe faster."

Tracker practically stopped breathing for a moment. If they were trying to kill her, they were putting way too much effort into it. Getting control of her breathing she pretended she was on a hunt. _Don't breath loud. Stay calm._

"Stop where you are!"

Littlefoot turned at the sudden exclamation from Cera. It seemed that their momentary respite had come to an end.

"Ponder, guard Tracker!"

Then, as suddenly as he had spoke, Littlefoot disappeared into the darkness.

Tracker wasn't sure if the guard order was to watch or protect her. Maybe it was both? Unable to do anything else, she continued to focus on her breathing and waited for Dodger to return.

* * *

 **Thanks for the kind words, Julian! I am deeply appreciative of each of you who have taken the time to read the prologue on this site and the Gang of Five. I hope that you find the rest of this story to your satisfaction.**

 **On another note, I seem to have come to a bit of writer's block on the idea that I had for Ruby's origin. The basic idea has already been planned out to my satisfaction, though I seem to be having difficulty in actually writing the story itself. For that reason, instead of the Ruby story (which I will put on hold for a little while), you may be seeing some short stories being posted in the near future along with the weekly installments of Mender's Tale.**


	3. Chapter 2: Mender's Entrance

**Sorry about the 2-day delay from the usual schedule, work constraints delayed the collaboration meeting between Historian1912 and I. I hope to have the next chapter up by next Wednesday.**

 **Just as a reminder for the names of the main pack** **:**

 **Path = Chomper**

 **Ruby = Ponder**

 **Littlefoot = Seeker**

 **Cera = Stern Claw**

 **Ducky = Haven**

 **Spike = Finder**

 **Petrie = Spotter**

 **And for the names of the remaining member of Mender's first pack** **:**

 **Dodger = Verant (eventually)**

 **Tracker = Staza (eventually)**

 **Violet = Mender (eventually)**

 **But enough commentary from me, on to the story...**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Mender's Entrance**

 _An unexpected introduction. That must be Mender's entrance._

Orchid considered the violet fastbiter for several moments as she finished the chorus of her first song. The singing of stories was not unknown to him, considering that it was how Petrie often communicated the adventures of his pack when he visited the family, but it was not a common way for fastrunners to convey ideas.

"Is that the entire story?"

Orchid's beak clinched slightly as his sister whispered into his ear, the tiniest hint of a smile forming on his face.

"I think that is just the beginning... It's the... um..." Orchid struggled to think of the word.

"Introduction song."

Orchid turned his head slightly only to see Cynnil's eyes smirking at him with amusement. Despite the obvious lack of malice, there was something predatory about the kind troodon's expression that made Orchid shiver.

 _Good job, Orchid. You have been caught in the act by Mender's pack leader. I am sure that a pack of hidden runners and fastbiters are exactly the sort of people you should disrespect by whispering over someone's song._

Despite his self-criticism, however, Orchid did not leave his train of thought. There was something odd about the fastbiters wavering chorus. Something that he couldn't quite place.

 _She's nervous._

His eyes went wide at that realization. He couldn't quite understand where that thought had come from, but as soon as he took a deep breath he realized what had given him the idea. The scent of nervousness and uncertainty. Gone was the cold efficiency of the dutiful healer and in its place was a scent that seemed to belong to someone else. It was then that he caught sight of Cynnil's expression once more. The look that she gave communicated volumes.

 _Now you know. Don't make her feel worse._

The song finally came to an end as Mender's voice came to a slow hum. He had little experience in gauging the quality of fastbiter songs as Petrie was where he had heard most of them. Though Petrie's speech impediment was almost non-existent when he sang, there was something enticing about hearing a song from the voice of a new singer. He was going to show respect to Mender for the song even before his recent revelation, but Mender's nervousness only confirmed his course of action.

He began stomping his foot in applause.

* * *

Mender finished the last tones of her introduction with a mixture of uncertainty and inadequacy. Singing was never her strength, and though she knew that her pack would not belabor her acoustic failings, she had her doubts about singing to a crowd of strangers. Worse yet was the blatant desire of the fastrunners to end the song...

 _Is that the entire story?_

The words of Arial dwelled in her mind. It had been made in a whisper, but to her ears it might as well have been said aloud. It was obvious to Mender that her patient was too polite to critique her singing, but obviously wanted it to end. With that in mind she brought her song to its conclusion and prepared to make an excuse on the fastrunner's behalf. _I could say that I am losing my voice, that would be believable, wouldn't it?_ But that was when she heard it.

 _Applause?_

Mender blinked at the reactions of the two young fastrunners, but her eyes were not deceiving her. The two were stomping their feet in the polite applause that was common for their kind. _Well, stomping her foot in Arial's case._ Mender smiled slightly at that. For once she was not distressed about completely misreading the situation.

"You are correct, by the way, Orchid," Mender offered which cased the male fastrunner to stop applauding and to take on a mortified expression that made Detras and Pearl laugh openly, "That was the introduction. The full song is much, much longer."

Orchid was frozen in silence, but his sister was not at a loss for words, "You heard us?"

Mender chuckled lightly as she pointed at her ears, "I have very good hearing. That is one thing that I have going for me anyway."

"You have many strengths, Mender, don't count yourself short," Cynnil chided gently.

"Yeah!" Buse affirmed, "No reason to be nervous, you sang gre- hey!"

Cynnil looked at Pearl with a amusement as the fastrunner quickly put on an innocent expression. Buse, for his part, continued to look at the others in confusion. Not quite sure where the offending rock had come from.

Perhaps wishing to spare his mate any suspicion for the act of stopping Buse's overactive mouth, or perhaps simply wishing to change the subject from something that would embarrass their guest, Detras interrupted the others.

"So you used to be called Violet? Interesting... And your brother is named Dodger?"

It was times like this that Violet hated not being able to read others well. _Are you trying to distract Buse from suspecting your mate? My pack leader approves of her aim so that shouldn't be an issue... or are you actually curious?_ Promptly realizing that she was daydreaming, she quickly answered his question.

"My youngling name was Violet," she affirmed with a nod of the head, "And Verant used to be called Dodger. Tracker is now called Staza."

"Why do you sharpteeth change your names anyway? Violet sounds like a perfectly fine name, since you are, well, violet," As if to punctuate her point Arial pointed at her brother's violet feathers, "And Ruby's name was fine too. I would have to ponder why she was named Ponder... ow!"

Orchid quickly dodged Arial's bite of reprisal as he looked at her cheekily, "You know what mom says about talking double!"

"Oh, so you do that too?" Violet asked as if the sibling spat had not happened. _I guess it would make sense that Ponders's way of talking runs in the family._

Arial looked embarrassed, "Not all the time..."

"Talking double does kind of run in the family," Pearl spared her daughter the task of making the explanation, "Though Ruby did it a lot. I think she got worse from teaching Chomper the leaf-eater language."

Violet tilted her head at this, _Teaching Path? I must have missed that song!_

"He already knew how to speak some, but our daughter decided to teach him the rest," Detras rolled his eyes at the memory, "Which she did without telling us... but sorry, Mender, I think that we talked over your answer."

Violet was confused for a moment before remembering what had been asked a few seconds prior, "You will have to tell me that story at some point, but as for the youngling name..." she began to gesture with her hands, "The youngling name is like a guess of who you will be, but the pack name describes who you are."

"So since you mend people, you are called Mender?" Orchid asked.

Violet nodded, "Exactly."

"And one of Haven's and Leap's children is named Dodger, was she named after your brother?" Detras asked curiously.

The look of absolute shock on Violet's face was apparent to everyone present, _They... they named one of their kids Dodger? The flyers left out that piece of information._

"They... they did?" Violet sputtered, "I... well, I assume that Verant knows..."

She took a deep, calming breath, "That is a gesture that would have seemed impossible back then."

Detras nodded as the violet fastrunner tilted his head, "I would imagine so considering what Ducky nearly did to your packmate."

Violet sighed, "Not just that... not just that..." _That is a part of the song that I will spare them the details._

Detras misread Mender's intentions as he noticed Violet's obvious emotional struggle, "Well it is getting later, perhaps you would like to continue the story tomorrow..."

"No." Mender's voice rang out with surprising firmness, "I will sing you all of the song which we usually sing to the night. Nothing less... and nothing more."

As if sensing the awkward impasse in the conversation, Cynnil stepped forward and tilted her head at Violet, "The next part of the song requires a second singer, right?"

Violet smiled slightly, "Right. Alright... let's continue the song." _Alright, Mender. They liked your introduction so the next part should not be too bad. Well, besides the embarrassing details..._ She shook her head, _Enough thinking, let's get this started again._

 **In rage and fear I disobeyed**

 **Seeking my friends whom had stayed**

 **But as my body sprinted into the night**

 **Seeker's pack was ready to fight...**

* * *

 **After the events of chapter 1:**

Violet was trying very hard not to leap at the fastbiter confronting her. _I can't believe I got caught! Wait, that's wrong. Not being caught would mean the other pack is blind, deaf, and snifferless._

Cera stared down the violet-colored fastbiter with an icy glare. She had no idea what was going on in the enemy fastbiter's mind, but the deeply contemplative look made her fearful of a trick. Little did she know that Violet's thoughts were more introspective than strategic.

 _Okay... what would Dodger do? Stupid question! Dodger wouldn't have gotten caught_! Violet was self-admittedly the worst of her pack at hiding and any part of hunting that involved sneaking. Her only real gift was her speed. She could outrun anyone, despite being both the smallest and the last in her nest to hatch. That might come in handy right about now…

Cera clenched her hands firmly against the spear. _It seems that our kindness is about to bite us in the ass! Don't try me, scale-ass!_

As Cera squared off with the small fastbiter she could see a familiar shadow out of the corner of her eye as Ducky's discrete form shifted behind her in preparation for a possible reprisal attack. Cera smiled, _and Purple over here thinks we are alone..._

Violet kept her focus on the fastbiter in front of her, having not noticed anyone else. The other fastbiter was bigger than her, _probably bigger than Dodger..._ some part of her mind added. Only her fear for her brother, and a lack of common sense, kept her from backing up a step.

"Where's my brother!" she demanded.

She did not see the fasbiter emerge from the bushes until his spear was already at the ready.

"Trying to find a plant that will save your friend."

Violet stared at the new brown fastbiter with a mixture of surprise and rage. _How did he appear out of nowhere?_ His reference to saving her friend only barely registered in her mind before Littlefoot spoke again.

"I would advise against charging forward unless you want him to try to save you as well." The arrogance in Littlefoot's voice was offset by obvious concern. "I think that your friend would like to see you now… but only if you keep your claws to yourself, outsider."

Violet gritted her teeth in frustration but backed down. She'd already caused her brother enough trouble by disobeying a direct order from her own leader. She was pretty sure she wasn't going to escape a lecture as it was. No sense making it worse.

Cera edged closer to a nearby bush and aimed her spear firmly in Violet's position. This was followed by the fastbiter emitting a series of unintelligible screeches and hisses. Upon hearing a hiss back from somewhere behind her, the fastbiter then nodded and gestured towards the bush.

 _I was surrounded?!_

As if to answer her unspoken question, Cera spoke, "She is in that direction. Don't do anything stupid. We will be watching."

Then, without taking her eyes off of Violet, she edged behind the bush. Only Cera's eyes continued to shine through the pitch black night... the only sign that she kept watch over the fastbiter.

Violet was getting more worried the longer it took to reach her friend. Her imagination was starting to get the better of her. The warnings she kept getting weren't exactly improving her mood either. Trying to not cause any more trouble, she kept her opinions to herself, though that didn't stop her from glaring at Cera's last known position.

Cera eyed the fastbiter with a stern expression. She could smell the stench of anger and agitation, but at the moment she couldn't bring herself to care. _Seeker is being more generous than I would be!_ Cera protested internally, _What in the name of sanity is wrong with this one? Does she not know how to follow fucking directions?_ As if to mock her unstated question, Violet began to slowly advance through the dark.

When Violet actually got in sight of Tracker, she nearly got dizzy from her almost contradictory reactions. She was worried, and more than a bit horrified, at the sight of Tracker's injury. She was also angry, angry at whoever had dared hurt her friend. Tracker was the nicest dinosaur she knew, including the siblings she hadn't seen in what felt like a lifetime. Tracker even forgave her for initially being downright nasty towards her when they met. Whoever did this was going to pay.

"Tracker, are you alright?" Violet asked with barely concealed fear as she ran up to her friend. It was a stupid question to ask, but she couldn't think of something better.

"My leg hurts," Tracker practically whispered. That was enough of an understatement to be considered a lie. She'd chew off the leg if it would make the pain stop.

"What can I do?"

"Put pressure on my leg where my hand is."

"Okay." Violet proceeded to do just that.

While putting pressure on the leg, Violet took a moment to study the injury. It looked even worse up close. Violet did her best not to react, to keep herself under control, but she was starting to lose it. She hated being helpless.

Tracker didn't like the signals she was getting from Violet. If her now heavy breathing wasn't a dead giveaway by itself, the air was thick with the smell of anxiety, along with quite a bit of anger.

"Violet, look at me," Violet didn't respond.

"Violet, eyes on me," Tracker said a bit more authoritatively, the way she heard Dodger say it. It was a tactic Dodger used on Violet during a major injury, argument, or other tense situation to keep her focused on only what he wanted her to focus on, not what was currently worrying her.

Slightly shocked to hear that phrase from Tracker, Violet looked over to her friend.

"Violet, I'm alright. Everything's going to be fine," Tracker told her best friend. Like a few other things tonight, she forgot one critical detail. It was a very bad idea to lie to Violet, no matter how unpleasant the truth was.

"Y-you're lying," Violet snapped. She nearly started sobbing, assuming the worst.

Looking away from her friend, Violet saw a green fastbiter a length's away that didn't have a stick. All of the other fastbiters here had sticks, unless…

"YOU!" Violet screamed. Her vision blurred red as she charged the other fastbiter.

Ducky scampered back at the sudden onslaught from the emotional fastbiter. Like a thunderstorm on a sunny day the threat came upon her with little warning. Fortunately for Ducky, however, the pack had prepared for this possibility.

Violet did not see Spike preparing to launch his spear in defense of his sister…

"Violet, STOP!"

Time seemed to freeze in an instant upon Dodger's panicked yell. Violet reluctantly stopped in front of her target, with her body shaking in barely contained anger. She saw red. In that moment all that she could hear was her thundering heartbeat and the distant words of her brother. With a shuddering breath she clinched her hands and continued to stare at the green fastbiter, not wishing to let her escape.

"We got the healing plants! Now please get away from her!"

Violet continued to stare at Ducky, but took quite a few steps back. Had she been even a bit calmer, she would have dashed all the way back to Tracker's side and started apologizing. She knew she was huge trouble, probably with everyone at this point, but she was so angry she couldn't make herself care.

"Violet..."

Violet took a deep breath, but did not take her eyes off of Ducky. The green fastbiter now almost seemed calm, which angered Violet immensely. However, she responded to her packmate with the calmest voice that she could manage.

"Tracker?"

Tracker sighed heavily as Dodger silently advanced towards her after a nod from Taunt. None of the pack realized that this was in order to get the two packmates into the same place, not necessarily to help Tracker. If they couldn't stop Violet one way then they would have leverage to try another…

"What are you doing, Violet?"

Violet growled, "I am about to rip out this sap-sucker's throat!"

Tracker tried to keep her voice calm, "And what would that accomplish? Will it undo my wound?"

"This pile of spiketail dung tried to kill you and still might. Why should she get to live if you don't?" Violet was getting angrier by the second. "I can't let this go unanswered!" She turned back towards Ducky. If looks could kill then Ducky was in for a long agonizing death.

Ducky had the sense to keep her mouth shut during this exchange. However, seeing that a battle seemed to be in the near-future, she gently rubbed the red bulb in her claws that she had laid at her side during her watch duty. She was prepared to meet violence with violence on this day.

" **Stop, Haven. Let's see if they can work this out first."**

Ducky clinched her hands at Littlefoot's words. To the ears of the other pack those words sounded like gibberish, but to Ducky they were a direct order. Don't attack unless attacked.

Meanwhile, Tracker cleared her dry throat and tried again.

"I am not dead yet, but if you do this then I will be. We all will be."

Violet seemed to freeze solid for a moment as Tracker's words started to sink in. _What am I doing? Why do I keep messing everything up?_ She looked over at Dodger, who only gave her a hard stare. She'd only gotten that look once after attacking Tracker while suffering from hunger madness. If she couldn't control herself her brother would do it for her.

Reluctantly Violet withdrew back towards her packmates, a look of utter defeat plastered on her face. Even if Dodger knew what to say to his sister in that moment, he doubted that he could bring himself to say it. The near-death experience he was currently in wasn't helping matters.

Ducky took this opportunity to edge back towards Spike's position. It was only now that he appeared, with his spear firmly at his side. A reminder to Ducky, and an indication to Violet, of the fate that she nearly made for herself.

"Guys, I think we need to start now."

The heads of the fastbiters turned towards Taunt's inquisitive form. He was staring at Tracker's legs and was lightly picking up one of her feet and dropping them as if they were no longer under her control.

"The Orange Death is beginning to work up her legs."

* * *

"All we can do now is wait. If she gets feeling in her legs then that is a good sign."

Dodger suppressed an impatient growl at the pink fastbiter in front of him. Berating the healer would do Tracker no favors.

"How long do you think that will take?" Dodger asked being careful to keep the annoyance out of his voice. Though he didn't look it, he was almost at his wit's end. Between Tracker fighting a battle he could no longer help her in and Violet trying to start one he almost wished he were in an argument with Prowler, which was not unlike arguing with a two-footer. A dangerous challenge you were unlikely to win.

Ruby sat down as she looked into Littlefoot's eyes. It was as if they were having a nonverbal conversation.

"We should know before the end of the night... Before the end of the night we should know how it ends."

Silence fell upon the dinosaurs as Ruby's ominous words echoed in their minds. It was possible to survive the Orange Death even without treatment, but very unlikely. Calin was the only opponent of theirs who had survived such an injury. The fact that Tracker was already having trouble feeling her legs was a sign that her time was numbered without treatment.

But that wouldn't stop Tracker from trying to find levity in the situation.

"Well at least I will see how this story ends tonight. I always hated cliffhangers."

Violet couldn't help but smile. "Does that have anything to do with our first hunt together?" She'd accidently knocked Tracker off a ledge and had to pull her back up.

"Hey, that was your fault," Tracker replied, laughing as she did so.

Littlefoot watched the interactions of the three fastbiters with some interest. Despite one being deathly ill in a makeshift nest of leaves, and the others sitting uncomfortably next to their attackers, their mannerisms were just like those of his own pack in many ways. _The same camaraderie… the same compassion… the same humor..._

Littlefoot sighed. This other pack had nearly met their end due to a misunderstanding. Would his own pack meet such an end one day? They had faced death many times before, but the events of this day brought those memories back into the foreground. It reminded him of something that Detras had told him after the Battle for the Valley.

 _Live for each day… because one day will be your last._

Ruby interrupted Littlefoot's contemplative thoughts.

"Remember to breath slow, if you breathe slowly then the healing plants work better."

Tracker did as she was told. Instead of thinking about hunting she thought back on some of her previous near-death experiences. For her this was ironically calming. Since she had survived so much, she felt better about her chances now. Most of the time when things got bad either Dodger or Prowler would quickly find a way out. Lately though, really since before last Cold Time, Prowler had been panicking more quickly and losing control of the situation. The one time she asked about it she almost literally got her head bit off.

 _Maybe it is best that he isn't here now... but if Prowler isn't here, then where is he?_ Tracker wondered.

"Violet?" Tracker asked.

"Yes?" Violet replied hesitantly. She didn't like Tracker's contemplative look.

"You were with Prowler last," Tracker whispered, "Do you know where he is?"

Cera shifted her gaze towards the injured fastbiter. She knew what that tone of voice meant, even if she had no idea what the exact context was.

"N-no," Violet stammered, forgetting to keep her voice down. She really didn't want to embarrass herself even further in front of the other pack.

Unfortunately for Violet, she'd gotten Dodger's attention. He gestured away from the group with his head. Violet reluctantly followed when he got up.

 _This doesn't look good,_ Littlefoot thought to himself. Upon seeing Taunt and Spike give him an inquisitive look, Littlefoot shook his head. Overt spying would not be done here. As it was, Littlefoot suspected it would not be necessary...

Dodger led Violet a little ways away where they were still quite visible but a bit less likely to be overheard.

"What happened?" Dodger asked without preamble. He wasn't entirely sure what Tracker had said, but he'd been wondering where Prowler was for a while now and finally had the excuse to ask.

Violet stayed silent for a moment, feigning ignorance.

"What happened after Tracker and I left?" Dodger clarified, taking away Violet's excuse to not answer.

"He left," Violet replied.

"What did you do?" Dodger asked, practically sighing as he did so.

"What makes you think I did anything?"

"You always do something, even unintentionally." _Especially unintentionally._

"He tried to make me leave you guys behind. I refused. He attacked me," Violet explained, gesturing towards the injury on her snout.

"So you disobeyed a direct order from the pack leader, fought with said leader, and charged headlong into danger with no support. Did I leave anything out?"

Dodger was furious. He was angry at Prowler for abandoning the rest of the pack and for hurting his sister, but Prowler wasn't here. Violet was. Violet was also his responsibility.

"Would you rather I left you to die?!" Violet demanded. She was practically shouting now.

"Did you even have a plan?" Dodger asked, ignoring Violet's question. There really wasn't a good answer to it.

Violet looked down. "No, I didn't think. I just reacted."

"That's what nearly got you killed tonight. You didn't think. You didn't think about the consequences of your actions. What if Tracker and I died? What would you have done then?"

"I'm sorry." Violet was fighting back the urge to cry and failing. How could I have been so stupid?

Dodger took a calming breath and looked back at Tracker. She was glaring at him, giving him the warning she always gave when his worry got the better of him.

"Violet," Dodger said slowly, "I'm glad you're here. Really, I am. I just want to keep you safe."

"I know," Violet said. She kept her head low, not feeling quite brave enough to look up.

"Violet, eyes on me." Violet reluctantly looked up, "One day I might not be around anymore. That day nearly was today. You're going to need to learn how to work with fastbiters that aren't me, even if you don't like them." _And there isn't much about Prowler to like_ , Dodger thought.

Violet wanted to deny it, but she couldn't. With extreme reluctance she nodded.

"Let's get back to Tracker before she talks them into sending out a search party," Dodger suggested. Violet smiled at that. She could actually see Tracker doing that just to get them to stop arguing. The siblings silently returned to the group.

"Can you feel your feet, Tracker?"

The two siblings had their thoughts interrupted by Taunt's voice. He was leaning near their prone friend as she cradled her right foot with a grimace of pain plastered on her face.

"Yes!" she spat out in a pained hiss, though there was no anger in her voice, "Though at the moment I wish that I couldn't!"

"That… that is a good sign, actually…"

Tracker's face looked over at the green fastbiter in the distance. She said nothing, but the look on her face indicated that the last person that she wanted to talk to was the fastbiter who nearly killed her. Nonetheless Ducky continued.

"It means that the Orange Death is losing the battle."

Violet barely heard what Ducky said. She was too busy trying to kill her with a glare. Dodger smiled in spite of himself. Despite the messenger, the news was good. _We might get out of this alright after all._

Tracker sucked in a deep breath at the other fastbiter's words. Though that did not ease her pain, it did calm her nerves. Despite trying to put on a brave face the prospect of death had terrified her. Now that the dark possibility was again in the background she allowed herself to relax. A moistness was felt in her eyes that she had been suppressing until then.

"Thank you…" she choked out. The other pack could have finished her off and killed her friends, but they had chosen a more generous route. Though Violet did not realize it at that moment, Tracker was especially cognizant of what that meant. Both for her pack and the pack that surrounded them.

"What do you plan to do with us?"

The two siblings looked at Tracker as if she had grown a second head, but Littlefoot seemed to be ready for this question. He paused for a moment as he shifted his balance from one foot to the other. Then, with a ponderous expression, he looked towards his packmates.

"I think… that is something that my pack will decide tomorrow," she could smell the agreement from the others, "In the meantime, you may rest here… under our strict supervision…"

Trying not to look like he had lost control of his pack, Dodger spoke for the group, "Can't argue with that. Ironically this is probably the safest we've been in…" he looked at Violet questioningly, "five Cold Times."

The stunned look on Littlefoot's face would have made his packmates laugh under any other circumstance, "...then you have not known much peace in your lives?" It was a rhetorical question that demanded answers.

Violet gave Littlefoot a look that screamed 'You did not just ask that', matching her own thoughts exactly.

"We've been on our own for a long time," Dodger said, giving the most basic explanation he could. He wanted to check with Tracker and Violet over how much he should tell if allowed discretion.

Littlefoot nodded slowly. _Orphans… These are not the first of these that we have seen in the Mysterious Beyond._ He did not finish the thought that it sometimes seemed that having one's parents survive to see their children leave the nest was the exception and not the rule. However he resisted sharing this depressing observation and instead offered a kind smile.

"Well… your fortunes have not betrayed you on this day. Your pack yet lives."

Dodger just nodded his agreement, not sure what to say. He'd come so close to death so many times he no longer feared it. He'd been terrified tonight, though, having nearly lost the two most important dinosaurs in his life.

As her companion tried to awkwardly transition the conversation away from the other pack's unspoken tragedies, Ruby looked over towards the horizon. The Bright Circle was beginning to peak over the distant hills, which heralded the coming of the morning. She was not the only one to notice this as a certain purple sharptooth grunted in frustration in the distance.

"Urgh… it looks like we aren't getting any more sleep tonight."

Ruby looked over at Chomper and tilted her head. "I thought that you were watching for others?"

Chomper merely shrugged at this, which was a comical expression considering the diminutive size of his arms to the rest of his body. "Spotter took over. He says that there is enough light for him to watch the fields… It is a Full Night Circle tonight." He then thought better of what he just said. "...well… was a Full Night Circle."

Dodger was stunned to see a two-footer talking with one of Littlefoot's pack members but relaxed when he saw and smelled that most of the present fastbiters were quite calm. The only exceptions were Tracker and… "Violet!" Dodger shouted, turning around to see her disappear into the trees.

"Who's fastest?" Dodger asked Littlefoot. One of the few things Violet bested him in was speed.

Littlefoot did not waste any time. "Haven! Stern Claw!"

In an instant the two fastbiters disappeared in the direction that Violet had run. Leaving a visibly fatigued Littlefoot and an utterly confused Chomper.

"Was it something that I said?"

* * *

 **I hope everyone enjoys the latest chapter. As I have mentioned previously, this story is going to be a bit more focused on the interpersonal dynamics between the pack members, and Mender in particular. And, as we can see from the ending, it would appear that Violet (Mender) has some lingering issues with two-footers...**

 **JulianR94:** Thank you very much for the kind words and helpful feedback over the last week. (: After revising this chapter I think that I have concluded that the pacing of this story (at least the song elements) will be more fast-paced merely due to the fact that it was composed in a roleplay, and partially due to Violet's personality. As we have seen she is quite prone to overanalysis when she has time to think, and a lack of analysis when her emotions get in the way. These traits are helpful to a healer, but before then...

 **gordhanx:** No problem, I am glad to have you as a reader again (: I hope that you enjoy the latest chapter.

 **Thanks again for the feedback, everyone! I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the latest developments.**


	4. Chapter 3: Songs within songs

**My apologies for the delay. The site was not accepting this chapter last night for some reason. I had to convert it into another file format before it finally would post.  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Songs within songs**

Cera pumped her legs with great exertion as Violet again disappeared from sight. She and Ducky had been chasing the obviously frightened fastbiter for the better part of a minute, and this was the second time that her view had been obstructed.

And quite frankly she was getting sick of Violet's antics.

 _What in the name of sanity does Seeker wants us to do when we catch her? He didn't directly say that I couldn't strangle her!_

Despite her enraged thoughts she knew that she would not take it that far. The other pack had showed themselves to be capable of seeing reason…

"Stop, Violet! Path won't hurt you! Nope, nope, nope!"

Cera didn't spare a glance at Ducky as she had to maneuver around the oncoming terrain. Her friend obviously didn't understand the irony of having the same dinosaur that nearly killed Violet's friend talk about how another dinosaur was safe. It would have been like Calin giving another dinosaur a good reference to Littlefoot. Littlefoot wouldn't have given his words much heed…

Fortunately for the rapidly tiring fastbiters the terrain finally put an end to Violet's flight.

Cera stopped suddenly and raised her hand. "There, in those trees!"

Ducky looked up at the grove of trees that lay in front of them. Violet's smell radiated from the foliage as the leaves began swaying with the violence of a storm. It seemed that the fastbiter had gotten into a position that she had to retreat from.

"Violet, listen to us…" Ducky spoke as softly as possible through her gasping breaths, "I know that you are scared right now, but you don't have to be."

The thrashing of the branches continued as the slightest flash of a tail could be seen through the shaking branches. There was no indication that her statement had been heard.

"Listen, Violet, just stop!" Cera spoke far less diplomatically, "Let us help you out of there before you hurt yourself!"

Violet froze, bringing the shaking to a stop. She'd actually been listening ever since Ducky started talking. However, she really didn't want to go back. Getting stuck had forced her to think. Unfortunately, what had come to mind was every mistake she'd made, usually accompanied by Prowler's unwelcome commentary on what she did wrong. It was no wonder that he didn't want to even try to go after Dodger and Tracker. In his opinion she was unreliable at best. And apparently he was right. She'd taken off and left the rest of her pack to fend for themselves. Sometimes she wondered if Dodger only put up with her because they were siblings.

She choked back a sob. She wasn't going to look weak in front of these two. She'd never live it down.

Unfortunately for Violet's pride, her scent gave away what sight could not.

"It is alright, Violet. You were scared, and we sometimes run when we see something that scares us." The voice of the green fastbiter paused for several moments. "Did Path's kind hurt you in some way?"

"If by hurt you mean slaughtered half my pack and nearly sent me and Dodger to our deaths in a river, then yes they hurt me." Violet's voice carried every last bit of bitterness and anger she had held onto since that horrific day. She started struggling even harder to get free.

Ducky shared a look with Cera, which earned her a slight nod. Cera then began to approach the trapped fastbiter with deliberate slowness.

"We can help you get free. There is no need to hurt yourself." She could see her tail flop around like an enraged snake. "It looks like you are stuck pretty good."

Ducky nodded from close behind, "But we do not want you to hurt us either. So if we help you we want you to promise to calm down."

Violet stopped struggling, closed her eyes, and silently counted to ten, then twenty. "I promise," she said as calmly as she could. She hated not being able to do this herself, but she knew both Dodger and Tracker would be giving her similar instructions if they were the ones helping her. That actually would have been more embarrassing.

Cera and Ducky now crept closer to the trapped fastbiter and could finally see her predicament. Her neck and head were twisted around one branch, whereas each leg seemed to be trapped by vines. In her headlong rush to escape she must have actually run into the vines and tangled trees at full speed. It was a wonder that she hadn't knocked herself unconscious or worse.

Cera gave Ducky a wide eyed look that communicated to her that this was quite a mess, to which Ducky could only nod. However, the beginning of the solution was an obvious one. The vines had to be cut.

Ducky sniffed the air one more time and noted the continued scent of fear, interspersed with embarrassment. She knew that the fastbiter was only displaying an outward appearance of calm; she was still an emotional wreck on the inside. With that in mind Ducky gave Cera a gesture that communicated 'let me handle this'.

"This will take a while, Violet. We have to cut some of these vines around your legs. Perhaps you could tell us a bit about yourself while we handle this?" Ducky then looked in Cera's direction, "I guess that we could have Stern Claw tell the pack that you are okay. Unless you want some of them to help you out instead?"

"No!" Violet almost shouted. She didn't want Dodger to see just how badly she messed up and _really_ didn't want Tracker to be left undefended. _I probably should have thought of that_ before _I ran off like a coward!_ "Just get me out of here," she said more calmly.

Ducky gave Cera a knowing look as the yellowish fastbiter restrained herself from laughing at Violet's answer. Within moments it was just Ducky and Violet in the grove. It was only then that Ducky realized the eeriness of the situation. She had nearly killed Violet's packmate, but yet here she was alone with the helpless fastbiter. It was only when Ducky began to gnaw at a vine that was around her tail that she finally spoke.

"So… um… How did all of you start off as a pack? You all seem about as young as us."

Violet was silent for a moment. It wasn't that she didn't want to say anything; she did want others to know her pack's story. She just wasn't sure where to start, especially since the beginning was so emotionally painful for her.

* * *

 **Back to the present:**

Pearl listened to the song with interest as she watched the mannerisms of the two singers. Mender's obvious nervousness was now somewhat subdued, although she suspected that the embarrassment remained from her reaction years ago. Cynnil, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying engaging in the song.

 _She must not sing all that often. Of course, considering what they are, they probably do not get too many audiences._

She frowned slightly. Never mind their good deeds, most leaf-eaters would be quick to send potential predators away from their young as soon as the help was given. And many sharpteeth would not want to show too much hospitality, lest they give away too much of their defensive secrets.

 _Fastrunners must be right in the middle. Sharptooth enough to understand, and leaf-eater enough not to hide too much._ Her thoughts were, however, interrupted by her mate's slight touch on her shoulder.

With deliberate subtlety, she turned towards her mate. Looking into his eyes, she immediately smiled at his expression. His eyes asked the obvious question 'what are you thinking?'

Coyly, she simply gave the slightest of smiles as she nodded in the direction of the song and turned back to the singing fastbiters.

 _We will talk about it later, dear... I think there is a bit more to our guests than what meets the eye..._

* * *

 **Several moments later in the song:**

Several moments later a very subdued Violet sat with the rest of her packmates. She wore noticeable scratches on her legs from where she fought with the vines and branches, but otherwise she was in good shape. Likewise, Tracker now seemed to be doing better as well. A slight lack of mobility to her tail and obvious fatigue in her eyes were the only signs of her recent brush with death.

"We were with our families over by a river," Violet started without preamble, "There used to be more of us. At the time there had been as many adults as there are dinosaurs here." She gestured to both her pack and Seeker's. "A pack of two-footers, younger ones, attacked us, wanting our territory." Violet paused, gathering up her courage.

"I don't know what happened to my mother, but Dodger got me and our other siblings away. We ran across a log, following some of the other kids. Prowler tripped and fell in the river. I made it across, but Dodger slipped keeping another of our siblings from falling. I ran back out to help. A two-footer tried to cross the log and broke it, sending us all into the water. I nearly drowned."

Violet stopped, unsure whether to continue the story. She'd already mentioned her unpleasant experience and really didn't want to continue. The next part was, for her, arguably even more embarrassing than her recent actions. _Maybe I can get Dodger or Tracker to tell the rest_ , Violet thought, _They're much better at this than I am_.

Littlefoot listened to Violet's words with a mixture of sympathy and understanding. _Losing family members to two-footers… no wonder why she ran when Path showed himself._ The large purple form of the sharptooth was still visible in the background, but he had increased his distance out of respect to the other pack's fear. Littlefoot knew that he would have to talk to his friend later in the day.

Ducky, meanwhile, gave Violet a slight nod of encouragement. "It is okay if you do not want to finish the story. We all have suffered from sharpteeth… well… before we became sharpteeth," she stopped awkwardly at the acknowledgement of her past, "Seeker lost his mother from one of Path's kind."

Violet gave Ducky an odd look, mixing her confusion at the green fastbiter's first statement, and a bit of understanding at the rest of what she said.

"It might be better if Dodger took over. He knows more about what happened next. I was kinda out of it for awhile," Violet said. She hadn't forgotten what Ducky did, but if Tracker wasn't going to make too much of a fuss about it, then she wasn't going to, either. She owed her friend that much.

Violet looked over at Dodger imploringly. "Okay, okay. I'll do it," Dodger said, standing up. Violet went and sat back down next to Tracker, taking Dodger's spot.

"That's it for why Violet does not like being surprised by two-footers, but do you guys want to hear the rest of our story?" Dodger asked.

Littlefoot took the initiative on behalf of the pack, and spoke with an odd tone that combined compassion and great formality. "If it doesn't trouble you too much then we would like to hear your story. Our lost loved ones are not truly lost if they remain in story and song."

Dodger nodded, taking that as an indication to continue. "Well, we ended up floating down the river for awhile. We eventually made it to shore." He paused for a moment, thinking on how to continue; their first days on their own hadn't gone well at all.

"We tried to move away from there, hoping to find the others. Violet got sick. Really sick. So we stopped and started hunting, trying to get her strength back up. That's when I literally ran into Tracker." He looked back at Tracker, silently asking for permission to tell her story. She nodded. "Tracker's pack had been attacked several days earlier. Another fastbiter pack had challenged hers for the territory, and her pack lost. The adults died fighting; the kids got hunted down, Tracker excepted. She could barely walk straight when we met. I helped her catch something and brought her back with me. Prowler wasn't happy." _That was an understatement. That one act of compassion had nearly started a fight for leadership._

"When was Prowler ever happy?" Violet asked, laughing as she did so.

"Good point," Dodger muttered.

"Prowler gave Tracker a challenge to prove she wasn't going to be more of a hinderance than a help. My father never taught me what standard procedure is for joining packs, but I'm pretty sure a demand to save a pack member's life isn't it," Dodger continued, "Fortunately Tracker knew about a plant called the Night Flower. Unfortunately the only place she knew where to find it might as well have brought the sky puffies down to the ground it was so hard to see. It also had more bellydraggers than I ever want to see again."

"You guys went to the Land of Mists?" Cera's eyes were wide at that realization, "Well I am glad that we didn't meet all of you on that trip!"

Petrie nodded. "That not be good. We only leaf-eaters then."

Littlefoot pondered this. _Grandpa barely made it as it was..._

Violet and Tracker gave the other pack disbelieving looks. Dodger just shook his head at them, indicating that they not ask further. He'd ask Littlefoot to explain later.

Dodger paused, pondering whether or not he wanted Violet to hear the next bit. He decided it was now or never. "It was also the place where I killed another fastbiter for the first time."

Violet's head jerked towards Dodger. She was stunned. She hadn't thought the pack had had to kill anyone _that_ soon, though Dodger had still been the first to do so even then.

"After that Violet got well again. Unfortunately she started picking on Tracker," Dodger said, ignoring Violet's reaction, "After awhile, the two eventually became friends." Dodger deliberately left out the insecurities that led to Violet's behavior. That wasn't for him to tell.

"A few Cold Times later, and we're standing here," he finished, "We had plenty of adventures, but I don't think any of you want to sit here all day for those."

"Why do you guys keep saying you were once food?" Violet asked, having been waiting for Dodger to finish. Dodger flinched at how blunt Violet was, but he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to change that about her.

Littlefoot gave the rest of the pack a knowing look, which caused them to settle down to an even greater degree than before. It was obvious that they were preparing for a long tale. It was then that Littlefoot finally shifted his gaze back to Violet.

"I hope that you don't mind Path joining us… as he is part of the tale."

Violet shifted uneasily but nodded.

Littlefoot gave a small gesture towards the sharptooth, which led to the sound of his thunderous footsteps echoing across the forest. Within moments the entire pack was assembled before Dodger and his packmates. It was only then that Littlefoot rubbed his hands together.

"Our song is a very long one… one that would take a day to complete. But we can tell you our story in the way that my grandfather would tell me stories as a child… unless you would prefer to hear the song?"

"Song, please," Tracker said, forgetting to wait for Dodger to ask for what both she and Violet wanted. Violet just rolled her eyes when Dodger looked at her for her opinion.

"We'd like to hear the song in its entirety," Dodger said, "I'd have told you ours as a song, but we haven't quite gotten done with it. Summarizing five Cold Times is hard."

Littlefoot nodded and gave Chomper a slight nod. "You may want to drag what is left of the swimmer, Path. I am sure that we will be quite famished when we are done." A yawn then escaped his mouth, "...and exhausted."

It was then that the five original friends joined shoulder to shoulder before the assembled pack, with the others waiting behind for their time to join the group. It was an odd sight for the other sharpteeth to see. However, before any of them could inquire about these antics, Littlefoot's words announced the beginning of the song that none of them would ever forget.

"We will now sing you the Song of the Seven Hunters."

* * *

 **And as the howls of our parents rose in the night,**

 **We knew that our happiness would never again take light**

 **For as the valley's vista were left to our rear,**

 **All that stood in front of us was uncertainty and fear**

Littlefoot and the others held the last note for several moments before dead silence descended upon the scene. It was now that the pack paused for the first time since the song had begun. One act in the epic had stalled before the next tale could begin. The tale of their new lives as sharpteeth.

Violet opened her mouth to say the tale was impossible, but both Dodger and Tracker were looking at her warningly. Tracker herself found the story hard to believe, but she wasn't about to be impolite and say so. The other pack certainly didn't smell like they were lying. Doubting the story didn't stop her from doing her best to memorize every word of it. She was almost certain she'd never get to hear the tale told like this again.

"I didn't believe the stories the first time, either," Dodger whispered to Violet, "but please try to be polite." Violet kept her thoughts to herself.

The rest of the pack remained silent, as Taunt and Ruby drank from the stream nearby. However Ducky gave the obviously distressed fastbiter a kindly look. She knew full well how difficult such a tale was to believe. Sometimes she was still amazed that their parents eventually accepted the story.

However, after a few moments all of the pack members had wetted their parched throats and were ready to resume the song. A melody that would lead to the pack's first blood.

* * *

 **With a sickening thud claws landed on his back-**

 **Blood... Viscera... Gore...**

 **Soon the gasping corpse of the longneck lay-**

 **Where my friend was moments before**

 **How... how could I have done this?-**

 **My mind in its blood craze did cry**

 **But I knew the truth as Ali's scream echoed in the night-**

 **My blood soaked claws did not lie**

Littlefoot stopped at the end of his solo, as he forced the signs of anguish from appearing on his face. However, his scents gave away the truth of that night. Never mind the justifications and the reasons some part of him still blamed himself for what happened.

It was Ruby who broke the silence. "Perhaps we should take a break now, so that we don't have to take a break until later?" No one disagreed with her suggestion.

Dodger and Violet stood up to stretch their legs. Dodger was amazed Violet had managed to sit still for so long.

"You think he's alright?" Violet asked. Her doubts about the story had died by this point. That last bit was the very definition of an unwinnable situation. Someone was going to die; all that mattered was to decide 'who'. Violet couldn't make that decision herself. Ever.

Dodger was a bit uncertain on how to proceed. He had been offered the accommodations of a guest in hearing the song of the pack, but at the same time he was a prisoner in a way. Tracker was still injured, and it was this same pack that had committed the deed.

He took a deep breath. _They have saved Tracker's life and allowed us to live. They would not do that if they didn't want us present._

"I'll talk to him," Dodger said, walking over to Littlefoot. Violet remained behind to keep Tracker company, in part because Tracker was looking rather distraught.

"Was that the first time you killed another dinosaur?" Dodger asked when he reached the stream. His answer to being unsure where to begin was to be direct, sometimes problematically so.

The brown fastbiter's head rose from the stream. From his vantage point Dodger could not see Littlefoot's expression.

"No. No it was not."

"When was the first, if I may ask?" Dodger was rather curious, despite his understanding that some things should be kept private.

Littlefoot rose to his full height before turning towards the other fastbiter. Dodger could see the intense expression on Littlefoot's face, as he eyes shined with a distinct coldness.

"You know why Redclaw hated the valley, right?"

"Some leaf-eaters killed his son, Wrath," Dodger answered. A moment later, he put the pieces together. "That was you guys?" Dodger shook his head.

"He killed my mother, and would have killed us if we hadn't done anything. We used Haven as bait, and then we dropped a boulder on his head." Littlefoot shook his head, "Drowning… a horrible death… I wonder if the Stone of Cold Fire was trying to tell us something."

Littlefoot then fell silent. He did not elaborate further on his thoughts.

"What do you think it was telling you?" Dodger asked. If rebuffed, he wouldn't press further.

Littlefoot paused for a moment, his head facing away from his questioner. "Pearl was the first to mention it… Ponder's mother… she wondered if we five had killed so many sharpteeth that the Stone thought that was where we belonged."

"Well, she might be right. Either that or I'm pretty messed up for a fastbiter," Dodger replied. _I've killed far too many fastbiters in my lifetime._

Littlefoot looked at Dodger oddly. The unspoken question was obvious.

"I've killed other fastbiters, all of them larger and older than me. My first hunt, if you can call it that, of another dinosaur happened in what you call the Land of Mists. That fastbiter I killed was the first dinosaur I ever killed." _A part of me died there as well._ Dodger didn't know why he was saying so much; he'd never talked about this with anyone before.

If Littlefoot had any opinion of Dodger's story he did not say it openly. "I was barely five years old when my friends and I killed Wrath. I didn't even pass my Big Longneck Test until five years later." A snort left the brown fasbiter. "I killed before I was even considered a 'big kid'."

Dodger couldn't stop himself from staring at Littlefoot. At that age he'd not been allowed more than a couple adult lengths away from the nest without an adult. He'd have been worse than helpless without his parents. _How did Seeker and his friends survive? Never mind that, what were they doing away from their families?_

"I know you lost your mother, but why weren't you with the rest of your herd?" Dodger asked, careful to use the correct group word.

"The Great Earthshake separated me from my grandparents. They and my mother were all that was left of the herd by then… When I finally made it back to the valley they were the ones who raised me." Littlefoot sighed heavily as he recounted those days. "Stern Claw lost her mother and sisters… and Finder never knew his real parents… but everyone had someone to care for them in the valley."

"I take it Stern Claw's father didn't take this whole Stone of Cold Fire business well? From the song, it seems like he took what he thought was her death really hard."

Littlefoot nodded. "He had Tria and his new daughter, but he took Stern Claw's 'loss' very hard. When she finally came back, and he found out what happened…" Littlefoot then looked at Dodger coyly once he realized what he was doing. "Well, I would hate to give anything away before its time. I imagine the others are ready to resume the song."

"Violet and Tracker definitely want to hear what's next. Is it alright if Tracker tries to memorize all this? She likes to do that. It's actually what saved her pack's songs from being forgotten."

Littlefoot smiled. "Of course! I would not presume to command the minds of others. Besides, I would like very much for the song of my pack to echo in the skies for generations to come. These songs are all that remain of many of our friends…" Littlefoot fell silent then. Aware that he was beginning to enter into melancholy territory.

"Come along! It is time for you to hear about Ponder's folks, and how we entered the Lowlands."

"Right behind you."

* * *

 **I watched as Ali walked away, her head held up high,**

 **Her flank stood out like the Night Circle in the azure sky**

 **Enemies no longer, disdain replaced with peace,**

 **We both knew that from then until forever, our meetings would have to cease**

Littlefoot and Ruby finished their duet as the other packmates looked on. It was oddly appropriate that Ruby would take Ali's place in the song, as in many ways Ruby had taken Ali's place in Littlefoot's life. She knew full well that had her mate had remained a longneck then Ali would be the mother of his children, and not her.

Violet couldn't keep herself from flinching a bit. She'd listened to Ali's parts quite intensely once the longneck had started acting on her anger much like she herself had. She hoped she hadn't made too bad an impression on the other pack.

Tracker had been quite intrigued by Ali since she first appeared in the story. She'd lost her friends, her herd, and apparently, her friends again. Ali must have felt like the world was intent on beating her down. Having lost her entire original pack, Tracker could sympathize.

"I know you said you haven't seen her since, but do you know if Ali is alright?" Tracker asked hesitantly.

Littlefoot nodded after a pause. "The last that I heard she had relocated in the valley… her mother mated with my father a few seasons ago."

Violet gripped her head. The constant break in logic that was having a parent and child being two different kinds was giving her a headache. Dodger did his best not to react, because the situation was too bizarre not to laugh at if he did let himself react. Tracker just smiled.

"I'm glad she's okay. I hope she's made some friends. Starting over isn't easy," Tracker said, glancing at her two packmates as she did so. "I think Ali handled it better than I would've, all things considered." That caused Dodger to stare at her with a surprised expression. _What? You think I could handle losing you guys as well?_ Tracker thought, _Not likely._

Cera smiled, though she gave her leader a bit of a playful expression. "Though considering what Ali's mom thought of you, Seeker, it was funny seeing you hear the news."

Littlefoot stammered, "You were as freaked out as any of us were!"

Taunt laughed. "Ha! See, Seeker isn't invincible after all… Ow!"

Cera licked her lips innocently as Taunt caressed his injured tail. "Neither are certain fastbiters named Taunt…"

Violet laughed before she could stop herself. Dodger and Tracker practically fell over themselves trying to quiet her, though in Tracker's case she had a good excuse for falling on her face.

"I really thought I'd taught you better," Dodger muttered once Violet had gotten ahold of herself.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "It is alright; the pack loves to annoy Seeker about that. Just like how they annoy me about my speech. About my speech they annoy me."

Taunt muttered as he caressed his tail. "It is all fun and games until someone gets hurt…"

To this Cera replied with a predatory smile, "...then it is hilarious!"

"Taunt wouldn't have lasted one day with Prowler," Violet whispered to Dodger. Dodger nodded. Prowler took almost everything as a personal insult, including mistakes.

Ducky stepped forward with an odd expression on her face. "Perhaps you should tell us a bit more about Prowler while we wait for Spotter to return for the final part." She knew that Petrie had not found any sign of the other fastbiter, Prowler, but she knew how the pack would respond if he were found. And if he were a threat then the rest of his pack would never even have to know that they disposed of him. _Spotter can do quite a lot with a little Orange Death. Yep, yep, yep._

"If you find him, I want to be the first to know," Violet said. There was quite a bit of venom behind her words.

"Violet!" Dodger reprimanded. Violet looked contrite.

"Prowler was from the same pack as Violet and myself," Dodger explained, "He and I were both the first and largest to hatch in our nests and thus leaders of our nest-siblings by default. Our pack was quite large, too large for any of us to stay close as adults, so our families pushed us hard to learn what we needed to survive. My father never let me use the words 'I give up' or 'it's not my fault'. I was in charge of my siblings, so it was always my fault. Prowler never quite understood that. He never believed anything was his fault. We were rivals then and sorta friends. During our time as a pack we clashed more and more frequently as time went on, but we used to get along."

"Prowler was always worried about challenges since he wasn't exactly well-liked. He started out just being very self centered. It got worse from there. For some reason he just really didn't like my sister."

"Stupid, clumsy, incompetent, useless, worthless…" Violet quietly listed some of things Prowler had called her over the years.

"Honestly, the only thing that held us together this long was habit and a severe lack of packs willing to take any of us on. You guys are actually the first pack we've run into that is about our age," Dodger said, "Prowler and I nearly killed each other last Cold Time."

Violet looked surprised, having never actually seen or even heard about such a fight; Tracker just looked down. She'd been the cause of that fight. One minor mistake had nearly destroyed the pack.

Littlefoot was silent as the others talked of their former leader. His eyes were sympathetic, but his mouth was stern. Finally, however, he broke his silence.

"Did any of you attempt to leave? To form your own pack?"

"No, and that was my fault," Dodger said, "I did my best to manage the situation, but I thought any attempt to leave would be too dangerous. We nearly died many times as a group of four. As a group of three I thought things would only get worse. Also, I was more than a bit worried Prowler would pursue us if we left. The only way to stop that would be to kill him, and I was too weak to do that. And, well, he was my friend, once. Violet wouldn't leave without me, and Tracker, well…"

"I'm not very good at standing up for myself," Tracker said, saving Dodger the trouble of coming up with a nicer way to say it.

Ducky forced herself to remain silent as a slight growl left her throat. Breeze was not so sedate, however.

"What a worthless piece of spiketail dung! Skytail would have eaten a bastard like that alive!"

Spike could only nod in agreement at his mate's words. The opposing pack had already heard of Skytail in the song and would no doubt understand the significance of her words.

Dodger only nodded. A warning glance to Violet kept her from concurring too enthusiastically.

"I would've liked to have met Skytail," Tracker said. It was nice to think that Dodger wasn't a complete aberration where pack leaders were concerned.

Taunt smiled from his place beside Cera. "He was a great leader. He sacrificed everything so that Breeze and I could live."

Littlefoot nodded. "It is true that sometimes pack members have to sacrifice for the pack, but that is true of pack leaders as well. I must never forget that the pack will one day have to go on without me."

Ruby nuzzled him and whispered, "Don't say that, dear!" Littlefoot merely remained silent as Ruby unconsciously nuzzled the scar from his own brush with death. A constant reminder of the burden of leadership.

"I know you understand that, Dodger, but try to remember not to get yourself killed. Some of us want you around," Tracker said before unconsciously leaning into Dodger.

"Is there something you two want to tell me?" Violet asked, having noticed Tracker's behavior. Her packmates just looked at her, a bit embarrassed.

"I'll tell you after the song," Tracker promised.

* * *

 **Deceit and lies flew from my beak,**

 **Me had to show that Petrie not weak**

 **Eventually me convince them of my foul intent,**

 **But me have no idea what that lie had meant**

 **In near future there would be many hidden runner dead,**

 **The burden of their murders would be on my head**

Petrie finished his last verse with a bow that hid the expression on his face. He then lifted into the air and landed on the nearby tree without staying for any questions. It was an odd reaction that confused several in the other pack.

"I wish he'd offered more of an explanation," Violet whispered to Tracker, who nodded in agreement. Dodger, who'd heard of the hidden runner massacre, quickly explained what happened. Both of the girls looked visibly ill when he finished.

 _Maybe I should have been a bit less descriptive,_ Dodger thought, _Maybe I should also stop eavesdropping on gossiping packs._

"That be mostly right," the flyer in the tree above them spoke, which caused Violet to jump in surprise, "Pack get to that later. Me never sing that part."

"I got disturbed just hearing about it," Dodger said.

"Sounds like something out of my bad sleep stories," Tracker said.

"You're still getting those?" Violet asked, alarmed. Many of Tracker's less than pleasant sleep stories involved the day her pack died. The actual event wasn't any more pleasant.

"Yeah," Tracker sighed.

Littlefoot took this as a good time to resume the song, and he gestured for Cera and Chomper to begin the next chorus. However, that was when Petrie again spoke.

"Sleep stories can be bad, but that is not baddest thing. Baddest thing is letting yourself become the bad sleep story. Me don't regret decision, so me can live with self. More saved in long run than killed… but it took me long time to realize that." There was then a pause as Littlefoot and the others shifted uncomfortably. Petrie always became self-conscious during this part of the story, and rightfully so.

However, his next words surprised them.

"Seeker, me think me sing along with next part."

Chomper looked at the flyer with surprise. His massive body making his head level with Petrie's current perch. "Are you sure, Spotter?" Littlefoot's cautious nod showed that he shared Chomper's skepticism.

"Me sure," Petrie nodded, "Me owe it to those who die because of me. They deserve song too."

Tracker looked like she was about to say something, then stopped. It wasn't her place to question the flyer's decision. While she agreed with what he said, she knew that looking back on the past wasn't always pleasant. The past day, or was it days, gave her own easy example. If she hadn't cowered immediately upon being questioned, Dodger wouldn't have had to move in to protect her so quickly, and the situation wouldn't have gotten out of control. She didn't dare say any of that out loud, though. The last thing she needed was for someone to agree with her on that.

Littlefoot, being unaware of Tracker's inner struggle, simply nodded at the flyer. "Very well, Spotter, you can join Stern Claw as she sings the harmony." He then turned towards the other pack. "You will now hear of the massacre of the Hidden Runners, and the alliance against Redclaw. A victory for which many fell and never rose again."

Silence fell over the assembled dinosaurs as Littlefoot turned towards his friends. Then, with a sudden movement of his arm, the song began once more.

 **A dark night fell upon the land,**

 **with dark deeds soon to come from Calin's band**

 **There were no flyers to warn the hidden runners of what was to come,**

 **though they had rested their heads under the Night Circle,**

 **for them the day would never come**

* * *

 **The longnecks bellowed, and the fastrunners ran,**

 **as Seeker and I fled across the land**

 **If we did not arrive before our parents there stood,**

 **then approve of our pairing they never would**

 _Yikes!_ Tracker thought. That did not sound good to her at all. _Hm. I wonder what my parents would have thought of Dodger…_

Violet, meanwhile, fought the urge to laugh, both at the idea of leaf-eaters telling fastbiters what to do and the simple absurdity of the situation. Years of being stuck around the completely humorless Prowler, however, gave her the control not to show more than a slight twitch.

Dodger just shook his head at the situation. Obviously, the situation had turned out alright, judging by how the featured pair behaved. He wasn't about to laugh, though. That wouldn't be polite, especially since Violet would see that as an excuse to stop keeping herself under control. _I may be a bit too controlling, but I'd rather have that problem that let Violet not control herself._

 **Into the trees, into the bushes, into the grass we flew,**

 **All of the leaf-eaters stared at us oddly,**

 **while our desperation only grew**

 **Finally at our destination,**

 **hidden runners, sharpteeth, and others stood,**

 **while we let out triumphant roars**

 **Then we heard the sound of laughter,**

 **and were surprised by the source**

 **For a test it had been not, except in jest,**

 **our parents would not have been so unkind**

 **The actual approval, in the fastrunner way,**

 **was to trick the pair who love did bind**

Violet finally couldn't help herself and burst out laughing. Dodger didn't bother telling her to stop. It wouldn't do any good even if he wanted her to. He looked over at Tracker, who was much more sedate. She was just smiling, happy that everything turned out well.

The song died down after those verses, as Littlefoot smiled at the laughter from Violet. "My grandparents were like that in many ways. They were very old, but young at heart. I suppose that I knew, even then, that those would be among the last days that I would see them."

"What were they like?" Tracker asked. She winced internally. _I wish I'd phrased that better._ Violet looked at Littlefoot expectantly, wanting more information as well.

"Well, they were huge," Littlefoot offered sardonically, which elicited a few laughs from the others, "They were the closest thing to parents that I had since my mother died. They never seemed to be able to keep me from getting into trouble on my adventures, but they cared for me deeply."

He then tilted his head a bit as he considered what information would be most surprising to the assembled fastbiters.

"My grandfather was a Story Speaker when he was a younger. A teller of tales to leaf-eaters."

Tracker, ever a lover of stories, was fascinated. She considered asking to hear some of them, but decided that that would be too demanding. She felt she was already imposing on them with her injury as it was and so kept quiet.

"Your grandpa got into a lot of arguments with my dad," Cera offered.

Littlefoot chuckled. "That is true, Stern Claw, but your dad gets into arguments with lots of people."

Taunt interrupted before Cera could retort, "Which explains where Stern Claw got that from…"

The resulting slap of Cera's tail on her mate's face was a foregone conclusion.

"I take it none of those arguments ever got deadly," Dodger stated more than asked. He was wondering how different kinds of leaf-eaters managed to coordinate amongst themselves. His little group had been quite dysfunctional with four _individuals_. Had they been of different kinds, even if they were all sharpteeth, they'd never have survived as long as they had, at least not together.

Littlefoot sighed. "Deadly, no. But having the valley agree on anything was like trying to lead a herd of yellowbellies. An impossible thing that only made you feel stupid for trying."

Violet spoke without thinking, "That's oddly specific." _Oops._ "I said that out loud, didn't I?"

Littlefoot closed his eyes. "That is something that we don't even talk about amongst ourselves…"

"But if you want to hear _that_ tale, Stern Claw did tell me once…" Taunt teased before dodging a bite from a noticeably irate Cera.

"I had no idea those sweet bubbles were overripe, and you agreed not to mention that again!"

Taunt shrugged. "I promised never to mention it to you again."

As the pair circled one another in a mixture of playfulness and anger, Littlefoot merely shrugged. "Getting _this_ pack to agree on anything can be quite a chore as well."

"Hopefully, it's also a bit less dangerous for you than me," Dodger muttered, not really intending for anyone to hear him.

Littlefoot looked at Dodger with sudden sympathy. "Not all pack leaders lead by tooth and claw. A violent pack leader often meets a violent end."

"It's funny, really. Prowler's dad was quite admirable, as were many of his ancestors," Dodger said. He'd heard many stories of Prowler's ancestors as stories meant for teaching how to lead well. "Sometimes I wonder if he would have done better if he'd not been under such desperate circumstances."

Littlefoot frowned. "Sometimes we define our destiny, and sometimes our destinies define us…" He finally shook his head as he gestured at the others. "Stern Claw, if you could hold off on killing tail-chaser over there I would appreciate it. We have a song to finish, remember?"

Cera gave a mock charge at Taunt before strutting back triumphantly. Within moments the pack was assembled again.

"And now the conclusion of our song…"

* * *

 **As we stood in the ravine bare,**

 **the sound of flyers rang in the air,**

 **a sound of life in a lifeless land,**

 **where blood still soaked the burning sand**

 **A reminder of why my grandparents died,**

 **why Thicknose sacrificed, why children cried,**

 **losses given freely so that others might live,**

 **selfless heroism from those who were willing to give**

 **So as we prepared to travel on,**

 **to finally reside in the Mysterious Beyond,**

 **we looked one last time at our former land,**

 **and bowed our heads without further command**

 **To the valley we could no longer return,**

 **but in our minds its memories would still burn,**

 **we would never forget the past that came before,**

 **and our song would be heard forever more**

As the assembled pack repeated the last verse's refrain, they worked themselves up into a crescendo. Their voices joining as one in a show of pack solidarity. The booming vocals continued to echo across the territory even as the song came to an end. The silence that followed it was deafening.

Dodger, Violet, and Tracker exchanged looks, not entirely sure how to react. They all agreed that it was a grand tale and superbly sung. Tracker was actually nervous she would not be able to do it justice in a retelling. However, they'd been so used to keeping their opinions to themselves, or at least to not state them loudly, over the years that they really weren't sure what reaction was appropriate. Even Violet kept herself from cheering, as badly as she wanted to.

Tracker finally came up with at least an appropriate question. "Is Calin still alive?" she asked. The answer to that question greatly concerned her.

Littlefoot smiled slightly, while his eyes suddenly turned malicious. "Calin died in a fitting manner. Until nature finally reclaimed it, I kept his tail as a reminder of how close we all came to destruction. It is amazing what people can do when you let them know that you are calling in a favor… though I think the ones who got Calin didn't even care about the award, to be honest…"

He trailed off but did not elaborate further. His change in demeanor clearly indicated a ruthlessness that the song had only hinted at. This was the first time that they had seen it firsthand since the terror of their initial capture.

"Well, that's one less thing to worry about," Violet said. Just going by what she heard in the song, she'd decided that her former leader wasn't the absolutely worst fastbiter to ever live, not that was saying a lot. She still couldn't even think his name without getting angry.

Cera nodded. "For every jerk we have to kill or chase off another one seems to appear… but we have yet to see one as vile as Calin."

Ruby agreed with her friend's assessment. "He was the worst of fake-faces. I don't think that there was any part of him that was real."

"I don't ever want to meet one," Tracker said. _Again. Once was one time too many._ If they had said Calin were still alive, she knew she'd be having nightmares until the next Cold Time.

Chomper broke the overall mood of the conversation by yawning. The sharp intake of air from the sharptooth resulted in the assembled packs looking at him with bemusement. This resulted in the sharptooth shrugging with his stubby arms.

"What? I've only eaten a small meal today, and not eating makes me tired."

Littlefoot rolled his eyes. "...and pissy."

Chomper made a mock bite at his leader as Littlefoot easily bounded away. The laughter that followed from Ruby and the others clearly indicated the good nature of the 'attack'.

"So… should we get some dinner then?" Spike offered, never being hesitant to recommend eating, "The swimmers should still be by the stream."

Ducky nodded. "Yep, yep, yep. It is their Time of Mating… so they should be distracted."

"Want some help?" Dodger asked. He wasn't about to assume they'd want his pack around, but he didn't want to generate any ill will via inaction or unintentional slight. He also wasn't sure what exactly was expected of him right now. Every other pack that had any interest in him had only sought his death so his social skill were a bit lacking.

Littlefoot turned from Ducky upon hearing Dodger's offer. His mind reeled with the awkwardness of the entire situation. Here was a pack that they had been moments away from utterly destroying, and yet now they were offering to assist them in a hunt within their own territory. He had opened up the doors of friendship by telling them their story, and now it seemed that the stories of the two packs would overlap. Within moments he reached a decision.

"We would appreciate that." His voice was firm but friendly. "Though we will need to talk strategy… and I would imagine that you would prefer to watch from afar, Tracker?"

"Assuming I can even get there," Tracker replied, with an uncharacteristic amount of annoyance. She wasn't entirely sure if she could even walk on her own yet and really didn't want to fall on her face in front of everyone. When moved from her original fallen position her packmates had practically carried her the whole way.

Littlefoot frowned at her words, but did not disagree. "Alright, Haven and Stern Claw? Would you mind helping her to Lookout Hill? She could still participate in the hunt by relaying our signals."

Ducky looked surprised. "That's a good idea, Seeker! I did not think of that. She could give signals without the swimmers knowing that we are near."

Cera smiled. "They would just think that it was a fastbiter singing a 'horrible sharptooth song' in the distance… they would never suspect that she is giving us valuable information."

"I'll do my best," Tracker said, sounding nervous. Prowler hadn't allowed her to participate in any hunt she wasn't absolutely needed in due to her not being a very fast runner, a not entirely inaccurate accusation on his part.

Littlefoot smiled, a plan quickly forming in his mind. "Alright, everyone, I think that it is time for us to do the old 'charge and deflect' maneuver… Haven, tell Tracker how this works… Dodger and Violet? You are with me. We have some scouting to do."

"You'll do fine, Tracker," Dodger said before turning to follow Littlefoot.

"She'll be safe there, right?" Violet asked Ducky. She still didn't entirely like the green fastbiter, but she seemed less likely to rebuff her question than the former threehorn.

Ducky nodded. "She will be far away from the action… but I guess that we could give her extra protection just to make sure." She looked up at Petrie. "Get some Orange Death, Spotter. That way if any leaf-eater charges the hill…"

She did not need to finish. "Spotter understand! If leaf-eater comes up hill then leaf-eater dead…" He turned towards Violet. "That work for you?"

"Perfect," Violet said. Tracker gave an involuntary shudder at the mention of 'Orange Death' but otherwise said nothing.

"See you soon," Violet yelled as she hurried to catch up with her brother.

Tracker nodded as the two fastbiters leaned against her on either side, helping to keep her upright. It was only then that she realized that the same dinosaur who had nearly killed her was now helping her get in position to help kill another dinosaur.

 _Well… this is awkward._

* * *

 **Despite their awkward meeting (and near-murder) Dodger's pack now knows the history of Seeker's pack. A story that Dodger had only heard in hushed whispers before, and that his packmates had been unaware of. But now they are faced with a true test of their hospitality. Will they prove themselves in the hunt to the pack that has decided to take them in? Or will the day give them yet another humiliation?  
**

 **I look forward to seeing everyone's thoughts on the latest chapter. There wasn't much input from the 'present day' in the current chapter, but that might change in the next installment. But, I suppose you will just have to stay tuned to fine out. d-;**

 **Until next time, I hope everyone has a wonderful week. (:**


	5. Chapter 4: A Violet Blooms

**-v-**

 **Chapter 4: A Violet Blooms**

As soon as the song turned to the subject of hunting Orchid could feel his pulse quicken. There were far too many memories from his own indentured servitude to Chomper's parents. Too many memories of death screams...

"We could stop for the night if you all wish. I am sure that all of you would like to sleep at some point."

Orchid blinked at the sudden voice. He had not expected Cynnil to address them directly.

"I..." Orchid hesitated. The hidden runners and Mender were offering them a way to stop the song for the night, but as he struggled to remember what he knew about etiquette in such matters something else came to mind.

 _They know what happened to us... and they're offering us a chance to avoid hearing the hunting song._

Orchid clinched his beak as he considered their options. It was a nice gesture on their part, but the idea did not sit well with him. It contradicted something that his mother had told him long ago with pack songs.

 _Never let a song go unfinished._

"Perhaps after you finish the chorus of the next song?" his father's words intoned diplomatically, "We would hate to deprive the ancestors of a finished story."

Orchid nodded with a knowing smile. _So many rules... how do the fastbiters keep track of it all?_

"And then maybe we could finish the rest tomorrow?" Orchid added for good measure to make sure that the guests did not take offense.

"Yeah!" his sister added enthusiastically, "It isn't like I'm going anywhere."

Orchid couldn't help but roll his eyes. _You could have omitted that last part, sis!_

"That sounds good," Cynnil replied with a smile as she gestured towards her predatory packmate, "I do believe this song is all yours, Mender."

Orchid again turned his expression to the violet fastbiter as she bowed slightly towards her pack leader. It was a very noticeable sign of caution in her movements that was an utter contrast to the good-natured pack leader before her.

"Looks like old habits die hard."

Orchid nodded slightly. _Looks like it, sis._

The moment did not last long, however, before Mender stood in front of the others and gestured in an exaggerated manner.

 **As the** **swimmers swam and splashed,**

 **In the water's blue depths**

 **Many potential lovers gathered by,**

 **to find the ones who would build their nests**

 **It was here, listening in,**

 **where Seeker and my brother sat in wait**

 **Knowing that in the moments to come,**

 **one of the swimmers would meet its fate**

* * *

" **Are you coming my way?"**

 **The swimmer shuddered at the male's words. This was the latest potential suitor on this unending day. Fighting the urge to roll her eyes she gave him the same answer that she had given the last eight males.**

 **"That depends… how fast can you swim? Are you as slow as the other males?"**

 **The male swimmer took this as an opportunity to make another pass at her.**

" **Well, sweetie, if you choose me then I will go as slow as you want…"**

"What are they saying?"

Littlefoot resisted the urge to groan at Dodger's question. It wasn't his fault that swimmers acted like sex-crazed fiends during their Time of Mating. And it wasn't his fault that they had to listen to the results.

"You honestly don't want to know. Trust me."

"I guess knowing leaf-eater is both a blessing and a curse, then," Dodger said more to himself than to Littlefoot. "Any obvious targets?" he then asked as he looked the brown fastbiter in the eyes.

Littlefoot considered Dodger's words carefully. _You can see the targets as well as I. Hmmm... I wonder if you are asking out of deference to me or inexperience at picking targets._

Littlefoot did not say his inner thoughts, but instead nodded at Dodger's question. "You see the male over there? He is quite fixated on mating with any female that passes him by… and he does not seem to be interested in proving his capacity to swim fast…what would you gather from that information, Dodger?" He kept his expression neutral as to neither express condensation or arrogance.

"He's not as fast as the other males, so he'll be easier to catch." Dodger was still curious as to how the hunt would actually work. Four fastbiters was the most he had ever worked alongside, and he'd only been on real hunts with three companions. _This could get out of control real fast_.

Littlefoot noted the response with a slight smile. "Very good. The first step in planning a hunt like this is to get all of the information that you can. We don't always have a chance to get this close to the prey, but whenever we can we take the opportunity."

As he said this Littlefoot gestured towards the bushes that covered their bodies. They were within a longneck length of the watering hole, and a longneck length further from that stood the love-struck swimmers. Truth be told they wouldn't even have to hide in order to avoid an attack, but they wanted the swimmers to act normally. That way they could get the best information…

Littlefoot looked intently at Dodger. _Now while we are here... let's find out a bit more about your pack..._

"I am sure that you are well skilled in hunting. How involved were you with the planning before your pack's hunts?" Littlefoot asked casually, "How did Prowler handle such things?"

"Depends on how soon before the hunt you're talking about. After Tracker gave her report, Prowler would come up with a basic plan that was either chasing the target into an ambush or simply trying to run it down. After that I did damage control and stationed myself at the weakest point in the plan without telling Prowler about it. It would sound too much like criticism." Dodger said the last sentence with more than a hint of bitterness.

"To try to make the plan actually fit the situation I'd give more detailed instructions to Violet and sometimes Tracker. Simply put, there rarely was a real plan. I usually had to make one walking Violet to her starting position. There used to be rather good plans, but that was long ago when Prowler and I got along."

Littlefoot frowned as he examined the male make another attempt at a female. _I am addressing a pack leader who apparently doesn't know that he was a pack leader... he will need to start thinking like one._

"It sounds like you were being more of a leader than the leader… have you given thought as to whom you would want as your second? In my pack we switch around whom is the second depending on the prey and who is in the hunting party… but most packs only have one second."

"I'm honestly not sure. Violet doesn't think things all the way through, as you've seen, and Tracker can still tell you exactly how many hunts she's been on. I don't think Prowler ever forgave her for completing his challenge."

Littlefoot nodded. "We have worked with a few other packs back during the last Cold Time… it was one of those 'you allow us to cross your territory, and we will help you bring down prey' things… not to mention they wanted to be on our good side… but anyway, we got to learn about how other packs handled things. You would be amazed how many packs have a leader, a left flanker, a right flanker, and a chaser. The tracker is usually done by one of the others as an extra duty. As you can imagine, that arrangement would not work in my pack. Too many hunters."

"I've got too few. Until Tracker's fully on her feet I'm down to two, myself included." Dodger thought for moment. "For comparison's sake, how would your pack go after an adult threehorn without those sticks?" _I'm pretty sure the answer isn't something that makes pestering a two-footer look safe_.

Dodger did not notice the momentary flicker in Littlefoot's eyes. "First, you find a person's ruin, their weakness, then you exploit it. For an adult threehorn that would be their children." Despite Littlefoot's dispassionate explanation his eyes conveyed more than a little disgust at the idea. "If you can get one of their children and hurt them then the parent will come running. If you know the path of least resistance to the child, then you can have you packmates line the route and wait… all you need is one good strike to one of the hind legs… then you have all of the time in the world to find attacks of opportunity."

"No wonder that hunt went so badly," Dodger muttered. _That disaster nearly killed us all._

Littlefoot kept his eyes on the swimmer, but gestured with his hand for Dodger to feel free to elaborate. He did not realize that Dodger took it as an order more so than a request.

"Last Cold Time Prowler got it into his head to go after the leader of a threehorn herd. That was stupid from the start. We tried an ambush in a ravine... Tracker got hit hard. Prowler was thrown and landed wrong. His tail still doesn't work quite right. Violet led the threehorn on a chase. The rest of the herd followed her if they did anything at all. I wasn't paying much attention at that point.

"Tracker couldn't even stand up. Prowler was yelling at her. Then he kicked her. I saw red and attacked. We nearly killed each other…" Dodger gestured to some scars along his side and one across his chest. "We tried to act like nothing happened, but I didn't think we'd make it to next Cold Time. I guess I was right."

Littlefoot growled slightly at Dodger's story. Prowler sounded like a toxic leader in many ways, though not overtly malicious.

"Well… I guess I will show you how we handle things in this pack so that you can get some other ideas. It is never a bad idea to learn new things." He gestured towards the area where the swimmers were. "From Lookout Hill to the stream what did you notice? Did you notice anything about the terrain?"

Dodger did his best to quickly follow the terrain with his eyes. Despite the casualness of the question some unconscious part of his mind took Littlefoot's question as a test of his abilities.

"It's somewhat open, though there's quite a bit of grass. No sudden movements and we might be able to sneak closer." Dodger was doing his best not to think of the situation from the prey's perspective. He'd been in too many ambushes, though honestly one was too many, involving grass for him not to be wary of it.

As if he were reading Dodger's mind, Littlefoot asked another question, "How do you think the swimmers feel about their location? If a threat were to appear where do you think they would go?"

"Most likely the stream. That's where they're most comfortable. If they decide to leave the area entirely they could probably outswim us," Dodger responded, "Just don't ask Violet to jump in. She hates water she can't stand in." _Nearly drowning will do that to you_.

Littlefoot nodded. "Exactly. They will head up the stream. It is for that reason that we will need to get between our target and the stream. In order to do that we will have to have a two-way ambush. Based upon the terrain here, which two areas do you think we should use?"

"The plants by the water would make a good hiding spot…" Dodger muttered, trying to think it through. He was used to thinking fast, but there were more components here than he was used to. "I'm not entirely sure if an attack from our current direction if we get close counts as an ambush, but…" _And I thought it would be_ easier _with more fastbiters_.

"Yes, you are on the right track. We will need to have the fastest of us waiting here and over there and then we will need to charge on either side of the target in order to block his access to the stream…" Littlefoot gestured towards the body of water, which was now abuzz with activity, "...then the chasers can follow him when he runs away from the stream. But tell me Dodger, what part of the hunt am I leaving out?"

"We need a distraction or some other trick," Dodger said.

Littlefoot nodded with a smile. "Exactly! We need something that will make the prey look in the opposite direction of us… something in that general direction." He gestured towards Lookout Hill. "I trust that Tracker is up to the task, but there is a reason that I have sent Violet to be in the chasing group, and not in the ambush group. I trust that you understand." Littlefoot looked somewhat apologetic as he said this.

Dodger couldn't keep himself from scowling. Prowler had often said something similar though far more coarsely. "Understood, sir." There was slight bit of challenge in his eyes.

Littlefoot noted the change and kept his demeanor carefully neutral. Though he did not want to antagonize the other fastbiter, he also did not want to show weakness. "Sometimes it is better to build up confidence before bigger duties are given. This is how Dein taught all of us back when we first changed. She is very fast, but the last day has not exactly been kind to her self-esteem has it? How would she react if she feels that she needs to prove herself?"

Dodger understood what Littlefoot was saying. He'd had similar thoughts in previous hunts. "My apologies, sir." Dodger ducked his head down like his father had taught him to do before the leader. Littlefoot was in control of the situation. Despite being a pack leader now, Dodger knew he was not on equal footing with the other fastbiter.

Littlefoot made a placative gesture with his hand. "No need for an apology, Dodger. It is only natural to be protective of those that we care for." He then smiled at the other fastbiter. "But I think that we have made pretty good progress with our scouting. We now have a strategy… we know the terrain… we know the target… and we know which teams that we are going to use. Do you have any questions?"

"No, sir."

Littlefoot frowned slightly at the formality and made a mental note to see if the behavior continued once the hunt was over. He took great pains to get to know every fastbiter under his command, but he felt like he was missing a piece of the puzzle here. Nonetheless, he decided that could wait for later. They had a hunt to start.

"Alright, Dodger, tell the others what I have decided, tell Petrie to tell Tracker to give the signal when everyone is in position, and tell Ponder to select the two ambush teams. Then rejoin me. The hunt will soon be on!"

"Right away, sir," Dodger said, smiling. He almost forgot the 'sir' at the end, thrilled to be part of something that probably wasn't going to get him killed, but he'd had the concept of respect towards those senior in rank to him pounded into his head for so long it was part of his nature now, especially when acting under orders.

Littlefoot watched as the fastbiter bounded away with enthusiasm. It was then that Littlefoot realized that Dodger's formality was born of respect as opposed to coldness. It was an odd reaction that reminded him vaguely of how threehorns behaved.

 _Come back soon, Dodger, and you will see firsthand how hunts happen in a big pack!_

He then turned back towards the not-so-distant swimmer who was still making his rounds.

" **We only live once, darling, why don't you live your life with me?"**

" **Drop dead, creep!"**

Littlefoot smiled and suppressed a chuckle. _You took the words right out of my mouth, swimmer!_

* * *

"Alright, everyone! You heard Dodger's report. If you are not in Ponder's or Stern Claw's groups then you are with me!"

Violet reluctantly stayed with Spike's group. _I've never worked with this many before._ Previously she'd only worked with Dodger or Tracker when being a distraction, never both at the same time. That was when she noticed Dodger giving a curt nod to the fastbiter that she quickly identified as Ruby.

"Alright! Dodger, Seeker, and Taunt will be with me! Let's go!"

Violet's mouth opened with agitation before she quickly closed it. It seemed that Dodger was going back to the other pack leader without even talking with her. _I've never worked with strangers before…_

Suddenly there was a light hiss, and Cera' group swiftly and quietly departed into the forest. With her went Breeze, a small group but large enough to cause panic where panic was desired. That left Ducky, Spike, Chomper, and her in the chaser group. With the addition of Chomper they would be quite conspicuous, but then again their job wasn't to sneak… it was to finish the job.

 _A job that I will have to do with… them…_

 _Focus! I can't afford to mess this up._ A rather worrying thought struck her. _I hope Dodger's not mad at me. Or worse trying to distance himself when I mess up…_ She shook her head to clear it, but it didn't do anything to calm her worries.

"Alright, everyone. We will need to get near the forest's edge, but not alert the swimmers… |On second thought you might want to be a bit further away, Path…"

The giant sharptooth smiled at Spike's words. "Are you saying that I am hard to hide, Finder?"

"My brother is saying that you can't hide. Nope, nope, nope!"

 _Sneaking? I'm doomed._ "Maybe I should sit this one out," Violet muttered to herself.

She didn't realize that everyone was now looking at her with great concern. None more so than a certain green fastbiter. With a quick glance she nonverbally told her brother to let her handle this. Violet's first hint that she had spoken aloud was when Ducky was a mere head's-length from her face.

"Look at me, Violet."

Violet did as instructed, her mind currently too occupied with panic at letting everyone else know what she was thinking to come up with any other response. _Dodger's going to_ _ **kill**_ _me._

Ducky looked upon the fastbiter with more than a small amount of pity. True her interactions with the fastbiter had been little more than annoyance over the last day, between trying to free her from trees after running from Chomper… to avoiding being killed by an angry fastbiter… but she could smell the desperation on her. The desperation to prove herself. The desperation to be useful. The desperation to be loved. She clinched her claws out of anger for Prowler. The imprint of his mental torments were visible for all to see.

"You can do this. If we didn't think that you could do this then we wouldn't ask you."

"You guys saw me coming before I even knew I was close to you. How is this any different?" If she were thinking logically, Violet could have answered that for herself. She wished Tracker were with her or here instead of her. She made sneaking look so easy.

"The difference, silly, is that we are fastbiters, and you were going upwind from us… not to mention we had some help in the sky… I don't think the swimmers will have that, do you?" Ducky replied with good humor, "Besides we don't have to sneak… they won't think anything of a few fastbiters a great distance away…"

"Okay. I'll give it a try. I don't think my brother would be too happy if I told him I gave up," Violet said with more confidence than she felt. She wasn't certain, but she was pretty sure failure would be a better result than no attempt at all. One resulted in correction, the other in a lecture that wouldn't end until the Night Circle rose again. _Which of those is more embarrassing in front of strangers?_

Ducky examined the other fastbiter's face closely, but reluctantly gave her an encouraging nod. The moment was quickly interrupted however by a noise from the sky.

 **Caw!**

Spike looked up towards the hill where Tracker resided. "Alright, everyone, it is time. We need to get in our positions!"

The hunt was about to begin.

* * *

Petrie soared over the swimmers like a leaf floating in the air. His eyes scoured the potential victims with clinical efficiency, as he knew that any signals from him would not alert the swimmers to the danger. They would merely see it as the random territorial calls of a flyer.

 _The love-struck ass still be distracted…_ Petrie considered that Taunt would have finished his thought with "still be distracted by tail" but Petrie ignored the unwanted commentary; he had a job to do. _He seem a bit slow… right foot not good…_ It was only from the air that one could see his spine arch awkwardly. He was putting more weight on one side.

Petrie nodded in satisfaction. This was the right target. Now he had to examine possible threats.

 _Three swimmers to right… four to left… rest in water… pack need to get in between him and others… distraction should do that._

Petrie smiled. Now it was up to Tracker.

 **Caw!**

* * *

Tracker couldn't help but look to the skies at hearing Petrie's call. Redirecting her gaze out to the herd she could see the groups starting to get into position. She found Dodger exactly where he was supposed to be. _No surprise there._ _That group's ready_.

Looking further out Tracker found Violet and the rest of Spike's group. Violet was looking more than a bit nervous, which meant that she was barely hanging in there… _Don't worry, Violet. We've been through far worse than this._ She sighed. _I'm gonna have to talk with her. She shouldn't be this worried. It's not like we're going after a threehorn. Something's bothering her._ Tracker would have outright refused to participate had their target been a threehorn. She'd nearly died from them once; she had no intention of being anywhere near one while helpless.

Just then there was a sudden movement in the group of swimmers. Tracker could see two of the females react with agitation at something unseen.

 _What was that?_ Tracker searched for anything that might be agitating the swimmers. _What am I not seeing? Please don't panic. Please don't panic._..

 **Splash!**

Without warning the two females dived into the water. It seemed that they had enough of the male's advances.

 _I might have missed the obvious,_ Tracker thought to herself with a small laugh.

Within moments the herd of swimmers appeared to calm down, with the male looking more than a bit dejected. Despite all of his attempts he had not found success on this day. And the pack was about to make sure that he never did.

Now with the females cleared away from the male, the ambush teams had a clear shot.

 _Okay. Now's a good a time as any._ Tracker roared as loudly as she could, hoping to draw as much attention to herself as possible. _And here we go…_

* * *

"Be careful, children! Don't stray too far from the water!"

Gali watched her children with amusement. They were now one year old and just old enough to play without constant supervision.

 _With the way the herd has been reacting I am sure there will be more children around soon enough._

She tried to ignore the overtures that she could hear from the desperate male. They were not made to her, of course, but the entire herd could hear his pathetic lines to the other females of his age.

 _Oh, Nadru, you were always not the swiftest current in the stream, but surely you know that they are not interested!_ Sighing, she proceeded to go back to the edge of the water while keeping her children in sight. That was when her world erupted into chaos.

 **Roar!**

"Sharpteeth!"

"Everyone, to the water!"

Gali looked up in horror at the sight of fastbiters emerging from the forest like locusts in a swarm. They were heading right towards her children.

"Children, run!"

* * *

 _This is going better than expected,_ Dodger thought to himself, _No one's dead yet._ So far he hadn't seen anyone in any real danger, their target excepted, of course. "Stupid question, but now what?" he yelled to no one in particular as the swimmer herd erupted into chaos. Fortunately for them, their target had practically run right into his group.

"Hey, swimmer! How do you like our pickup line!" Littlefoot mocked in sharptooth, knowing that the swimmer would only hear growls and roars. Making him panic was exactly what they wanted at this point. "Slash at his back if he presents an opening. For now just keep him from the water!"

"No problem." _Where's everyone else? I hate not knowing what's going on._ Dodger was not fond of not knowing certain things, like how quickly his fellow fastbiters could move. _Got a bit too used to working with my group doing the exact same thing every time. Got to work on that._

As if on cue, Cera's team arrived.

"Hey, look at me! I'm a sharptooth! Grrr…."

Dodger tried to hold his laugh at Cera's words as the male swimmer promptly broke into a run. All thoughts of going into the water being overridden by his instincts. It would soon be up to the chaser team to bring the swimmer down.

"Shit! Look out, Dodger!"

Dodger looked behind him to see a very angry swimmer bearing down on him. _This just isn't my day._ Dodger scrambled to get out of the way, eventually resorting to jumping at the last moment to increase his distance.

" **Momma! Help!"**

 _Oh, come on! What is this, pick-on-Dodger day?_ Dodger deliberately put as much distance between himself and anything or anyone that might get him trampled without caring how silly he might look. Running from a baby swimmer did nothing for his dignity.

" **We are not after your children, swimmer. We are after him!"** Taunt shouted in broken leaf-eater, as Dodger looked on in confusion. Dodger's momentary lapse however was soon interrupted by a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's get going before momma over here gets any ideas!" Cera practically yelled in his face, "Besides who wants the chasers to have all of the fun?"

Dodger didn't bother to reply. He just took off after the fleeing swimmer. _Today can't possibly get any worse…_

He didn't notice a very confused looking swimmer cradling her five children. It was only now dawning on her who these fastbiters must have been. For years to come her small family would tell about how they were spared by the Seven.

Though not everyone in the herd would be so lucky...

* * *

Violet kept pace with the swimmer in front of her. Her legs were burning. She wouldn't have it any other way. _This_ was what she was good at. The other fastbiters in the chaser group were still with her, unsurprisingly. _I wonder if I can get Haven to race me when we're both rested?_ _What am I thinking? FOCUS!_ She put on a burst of speed to try to close the gap.

The swimmer's pace began to slow as he struggled outside of his element. He was a swimmer, not a fast runner, and he could feel his legs begin to give out. The excited roars and yelps behind him were like an omen of impending doom. There were no other swimmers here with him.

He was completely alone.

 _Almost there, almost there…_ Violet was close to her target. She saw him stumble slightly. That was all the opening she needed. She leapt, claws sinking into the swimmer's side. _Yes!_ She roared in triumph.

" **Ahhhhh!"**

The swimmer shuddered violently as the fastbiter hung on to its shredded hide. His thoughts turned feral as the sensation of his life blood gushing from his body reached his perception. He began to run even faster as if a hidden reserve of energy arose within him. It was the second wind that came before death. The flame that came before the burn out.

Violet did her best to stay on and not fall off. It wasn't working. Every attempt to dig in deeper just destroyed what hold she had, and she was rapidly running out of undamaged hide. Reluctantly she jumped off and managed to land in a controlled tumble she'd seen Dodger do once, but never had the chance to practice herself.

 _Okay, nothing's broken,_ Violet thought to herself as she got back up, now feeling somewhat sore. _Not a good landing, though. Ouch._ She hurried to catch up with the mortally wounded swimmer.

Suddenly a bark arose from behind Violet as the sound of running feet and a rush of air erupted over her body. That was when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Cera asked with an exhausted voice.

"I've been through worse," Violet said. _Much worse._ "Dodger didn't see that, did he?"

Cera nodded quickly as she looked ahead and gave an 'all clear' gesture. "He saw enough to be concerned. You handled that well, though." She kept her focus on the chase in front of her. "...and here comes the finish…"

Violet couldn't help but sigh as she saw the rest of the pack rush in for the kill. _I'm never going to make a kill, am I? Too slow. Too clumsy._ _And I probably scared Dodger to death for nothing._ _Again._

Well ahead of the two fastbiters, the rest of the pack had caught up to the stricken prey. With a fury that seemed to come from nowhere Taunt leapt upon the swimmer's back and dug into the helpless herbivore's throat causing a torrent of blood to erupt on his face and body. This was the only signal that the others needed as they also leapt upon the swimmer's back and began to tear into the delicate flesh like maggots on carrion. Within mere moments a roar emanated from Littlefoot and the others detached themselves from the now stationary and wavering swimmer. When he did finally fall he never rose again.

The hunt was over.

"Congratulations on the kill, Violet!" Cera patted the other fastbiter on the back, which caused a yelp of surprise to erupt from her. "We could have let him bleed out, but then he could have died somewhere difficult to get to. That is why we usually 'help' the prey along."

"Wait, what?" Violet asked, extremely confused. This didn't make any sense. She'd been nowhere near the prey when it died. "I didn't do anything except almost break my neck."

Cera looked over the fastbiter as roars of victory emanated from the pack. "Even if we had done nothing, Violet, the swimmer was dead. He couldn't have survived a blow like that. This is _your_ kill." It was then that a passing thought came to Cera, "What does this bring your kill count to? I bet in a small pack like yours that you have had your fair share."

Violet looked extremely embarrassed and glanced away. "Including this one? Um... one," she practically whispered.

Cera froze and blinked. "Really?" She tried not to make her voice sound too reproachful, but her surprise was evident to Violet. "I mean… this is really your first kill?"

"I know I'm clumsy. You don't have to rub it in," Violet grumbled. Her embarrassment was rapidly turning to anger, but giving in to that anger wouldn't do her any good.

Cera didn't say a word as she looked towards the celebrating pack. Dodger was roaring happily with the others and was unaware of the situation with his packmate. The spontaneity of his reaction, as if it was his first time celebrating so freely, caught her by surprise. This made something click inside Cera's mind.

"Perhaps this is the first time anyone has actually given you a chance to succeed?"

Seeing slights where there were none, Violet put in an unnecessary defense of her brother. "Dodger gave me plenty of chances. We actually lost some prey because he let me try. Eventually I got tired of making his life harder because he said he messed up when Prowler demanded to know what happened." She didn't mention that there weren't that many chances in the first place because Prowler usually got the kill himself. If Dodger were in a position to try, then that meant Prowler missed and was already mad.

"Then tell me, Violet, why is Dodger celebrating like a youngling who caught his first ground fuzzy?" Cera inquired.

"Because my sister did something amazing," Dodger said, having walked up without the other two noticing. He noticed Violet's confused look. "What, you didn't know?" _I'm the worst brother, ever_.

Violet just shook her head. She didn't trust herself to speak.

"That kill is yours, Violet. Even if Seeker specifically said it didn't count, you landed the critical hit. I'm your pack leader…" _and your brother_ "...and I say you get credit for it. Just don't scare me like that again."

"I…" It finally dawned on Violet just exactly what she had done. According to her pack's traditions, she was still considered a child, and thus unassignable for any major responsibilities, until she made her first kill. Most made their first kill well before they became part of their own pack. She'd never gotten the chance to try before being separated from most of her family. _If Dodger says I got the kill, then that means…_ "I did it. I really did it." Forgetting where she was for the moment, she practically crashed into her brother, embracing him.

"I always knew you could do it," Dodger whispered, returning the embrace.

"Wait 'till I tell Tracker," Violet said excitedly, "Wait, Tracker…"

"I'll get her," Dodger said, putting himself between Violet and Tracker's location, "You earned this. Might as well enjoy it." With that, he turned and ran towards his friend's position. _You've more than earned this, little sister._

Cera smiled as the fastbiter seemed to grow in maturity before her eyes. It was amazing what knowing your own worth could do to a person.

"Come along, Violet, the rest of the pack will want to congratulate you as well." Cera smiled as she saw that the other fastbiter was hesitating. "Don't worry! You can wait to have the first bite until Tracker gets here."

* * *

Ducky looked upon the scene in the distance with a contemplative expression. She would have been utterly unaware of the significance of recent events, just seeing it as Violet regaining her confidence, were it not for something that Dodger whispered to Littlefoot moments before.

" _I'm so proud of her! This is her first kill!"_

" _Wait! Her what?"_

" _Her first kill! She never had the chance before."_

The celebration of the rest of the pack continued behind her, but she was left transfixed watching the two embracing fastbiters in front of her. She was only now considered an adult. Like them, after their transformation to sharpteeth, her graduation to adulthood was one long delayed. No wonder why she was so unsure of herself. No wonder why she gravitated from taking great risks to retreating into herself. It all made sense.

 _I will have to talk to her about being a full pack member. She probably knows what that means, but it is another to finally be one. It is, it is!_

As Cera and Violet began to walk towards the rest of the pack Ducky gave Littlefoot a knowing look.

"I will talk to her later. Seeker, you focus on Dodger."

Littlefoot looked a bit surprised but did not argue. "You plan on giving her the talk?"

Ducky snorted. "Someone has to do it, and there are certain things that her a male would probably leave out."

Littlefoot smiled sardonically. "There are some things that you have to hear from a stern voice."

Ducky looked over at the fastbiter. "Are you teasing me, Seeker?"

Littlefoot deadpanned, "Nope, nope, nope!"

As the pack leader leapt to avoid Ducky's playful swipe, she returned to her previous vigil over the advancing fastbiters, but she held her tongue. The talk could wait for later. Right now they had a feast to attend to.

* * *

 **And now, much to the surprise of Seeker's pack, Violet is now an adult. With that designation comes responsibilities and knowledge that normally would only be bestowed by another adult... and it seems Ducky has taken it upon herself to perform that duty. The question now is: where does Violet go from here?**

 **Thanks for the reviews, everyone! I am happy to see that readers are still enjoying this series even though it is in its third installment. (: And a special thank you to gordhanx for the review. I was uncertain how the last chapter would play out as it was made up of many 'songs within songs' as it were, but I am glad to see that you liked the final result. I look forward to reading everyone's thoughts on the latest installment.**

 **Until next time, have a wonderful weekend.**

 **~Rhombus**


	6. Chapter 5: Conversations

**-v-**

 **Chapter 5: Conversations**

 _Urgh… rocks don't make the best sleeping spot._

Mender slowly rose from her makeshift sleeping area as the snores of the rest of her pack reached her ears. They made a soft echo against the rocks that only her ears could have captured against the background noise. Hidden runners were not known to be loud sleepers.

She stretched, being careful not to awaken Buse, as she glanced in the direction where Arial lay.

 _I need to check on her injury, but it can wait for the fastrunners to wake up._ She snorted softly. _After our 'entrance' I don't want to upset them any more than we already have!_

Her mind made up, she gave one final look towards Cynnil to confirm that she was still slumbering. Seeing that to be the case, and that no one remained awake to give her contrary orders, she decided to attend to nature's call.

 _Hmmm… I wonder if they have a relieving spot._

She didn't notice Pearl opening her eyes and following her with her gaze.

* * *

Mender sighed heavily as she walked away from the relieving spot she had made the previous night. Being too embarrassed to come back and ask and too dutiful to risk exposing her patient to any danger, she had trekked nearly two miles to go back from where her pack had came.

"I will need to ask about that today… that is a long walk," _I shouldn't have drunk from the stream before sleep. This happens every time. Though marking territory usually isn't a bad thing._

"The relieving spot is in the rocks, by the way."

Mender froze as the voice echoed across the ravine. Looking around frantically she could not see the source of the voice, but she could recognize it.

"Pearl?" Mender hesitated a moment with an embarrassed expression, "Um… sorry about waking you up…"

The laughter reached her ears before the tell-tale pale pink of the fastrunner came into view. After a few jumps from rock to rock she descended from the middle of the rock wall to its base. It was as if she knew every crevice of the rocks like the feathers on her back.

"No worries, Mender. I was already awake. I actually wanted to talk with you a moment."

Mender subconsciously began to twitch her tail out of nervousness.

"If that is alright, of course."

 _Get a hold of yourself, Mender!_ "Of course! Sorry, I just didn't realize that I had been followed."

Pearl laughed again. A slow, joyful laugh that sounded as if it had ripened with age. "I am not surprised. Our kind lives by being silent and fast… though if you had gone in the direction of the wind then I am sure you would have smelled me long ago."

Mender smiled meekly, "Surely…"

The pair seemed to pause for a moment as Pearl careful went to the relieving spot and gave it a cursory sniff. Then, using her hind feet, she began to quickly brush her body in the vicinity of the scent marking before carving a depression in the ground. It was only then that Mender dared to ask the obvious question.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but what…"

"Rub some of your scent right here," Pearl interrupted while not taking her eyes off of the little scrape she had made.

Mender tilted her head, _What do you have in mind, Pearl?_ But she complied all the same. Within mere moments the scrape had a much stronger scent of fastbiter over that of the fastrunner. It was only then that she looked up.

To see that Pearl was no longer there.

"Few sharpteeth think to look up in the rocks," her voice echoed from the rock wall, her pink head peeking over a crevice of some kind, "Now if any come by they will think that the fastrunner who hunts out here has already been eaten."

Mender blinked as she contemplated the fastrunner's strategy, "Does your family have enemies?" _If we had known that then we might have called in a few favors of our own!_

Pearl's laugh greeted her again, "None in particular, but for a fastrunner any extra trickery is an advantage. A fastrunner who doesn't have speed or brains is…"

"Dinner." Mender finished Pearl's thought before realizing what she had just done, _I need to keep my mouth shut!_ "Um... I mean."

"No, you are quite right. I have no doubt that if you needed food in the Mysterious Beyond then a stupid or slow fastrunner would be a good meal for you. Had it not been for Seeker's good words for you, and your formidable reputation, then we would have made sure that you would have never been invited into our family's hiding spot." Pearl's voice no longer had laughter in it, but rather an odd kind of reserved wisdom, "But that is not why I followed you this morning."

Mender remained silent for several moments until she was sure that Pearl was waiting for her to speak, "Then may I ask what brought you out here, ma'am?"

There was a brief pause until the pink fastrunner finally jumped onto a rock within Mender's field of vision, "I figured that we could talk for a bit as we head back to Hanging Rock… without the others hearing."

 _Great… what have I done now?_

Then it happened again. The joyful laughter.

"I am not angry with you, Mender. I just have some questions. It isn't every day that Mender the Healer comes to your home, and it isn't every day that I can have a conversation with a fastbiter."

Mender rather self-consciously rose from her apologetic posture and tried to match the fastrunner's pace as she continued forward on the rocks above her, "I just help people…" she tried to temper the praise that the fastrunner had given her.

"A willingness to help people is a most rare trait in the Mysterious Beyond, Mender. Surely you know that?"

Mender looked down at those words. She had no rebuttal, "Buse and Cynnil are quite the healers as well. Cynnil has led me across the Mysterious Beyond for five seasons, and Buse has been with us for a season."

Pearl hopped to another rock with a soft thump, "I hope he has learned more about healing that tactfulness."

Mender laughed, "I am a healer, not a miracle worker."

Pearl echoed Mender's laughter, "It reminds me of the reports Spotter gives us from our daughter. Inevitably they will always include a few of Taunt's greatest incidents. Well, that is until the kids came along. Now it seems that he has his claws full."

Mender grew silent for several moments as she contemplated those words, "I have no doubt that Taunt's children would be like their father… I… um…"

Pearl stopped to look down at the fastbiter, "Go ahead, Mender."

"I have been traveling for many seasons, but I have not visited the pack since they had their kids. I… never had the chance." The slight quiver in her voice was not lost on Pearl.

Now it was Pearl's chance to be silent for a moment. When she again spoke, her voice came from behind Mender. She had covered enough ground that her scent was far enough away from the site of her faked 'death' to not alert any sharpteeth to the ruse.

"Now that reminds me of when we sent Ruby into the valley. We never knew if we were going to see her again, and the only notice we had of her whereabouts came from the mutterings of far-walkers leaving the valley," she sighed as she thought about those days, "Every time a complaining spiketail mentioned 'the damn egg-stealer' in the valley or the 'purple sharptooth' then we knew our baby was safe."

Mender frowned, "How often was that?"

Pearl smiled, "Not often. The leaf-eaters wouldn't directly talk to us, you see. But it is useful for a fastrunner to listen from afar. She has been an adult now for many seasons, and has been through several lifetimes of hardship. It is nice to know that she and our grandchildren are safe and sound."

Mender nodded, "Their song was hard to believe… and that is before I left. I can't imagine what they have been through since then."

Pearl blinked, "You don't know?"

Mender shrugged, "Well I was told by a flyer that the pack had had children… that Leap and Haven got together… and a several days ago a flyer told me that Seeker needed his favor repaid," she snorted, "…as if I only owe him one favor…"

"He didn't tell you what happened?" Pearl was disbelieving now.

"Um…" Mender hesitated, "The flyer told our pack about Ponder's sister needing some help… and that it involved a misunderstanding between the valley and some sharpteeth."

Pearl merely shook her head as a annoyed grunt left her mouth, "I will need to send a flyer out to inform my daughter's mate of the importance of giving the full story! Let's just say that the 'misunderstanding' involved Path, his parents, us, and the valley," she sighed, "It was enough to make us consider abandoning this place."

Mender frowned. _My family never had the chance to flee… consider yourselves lucky._ "I'm sorry, ma'am."

"Pearl, please." The fastrunner quickly corrected, "I am not a pack leader, Mender. You can address me as you would a friend. Anyone who is willing to help my daughters is a friend to me."

Mender nodded respectfully, "Sorry, Pearl."

"But we can't change the past… and things turned out well in the end. Which brings me back to the subject of yourself. We haven't heard the end of your song yet… but I am curious. What convinced the hidden runners to ally with you? They are loyal, but they also have their own agendas… what do they seek to gain?"

Mender smiled inwardly at the fastrunner's question. _Now here is the Pearl that Ponder told me about long ago. The mother who would know her secrets even before she said them._

"I… that is something that will be explained in the song," Mender answered carefully, "As for how much I can explain that is something that I will have to ask my leader."

Pearl's only response to Mender was to stare at her a moment. It wasn't a glare, nor did it have a hint of reproach. It was the same expression one may give to a rock they were examining, or a scent.

 _Well… this is awkward._

"So the rumors about the Triple Alliance are true?"

Mender gasped, "What?! How do you know?"

Pearl smiled, "I hear all of the rumors, remember? And what I don't hear, my mate hears. Also, I approve wholeheartedly of the idea… though I understand it is not something that you would not want to announce openly. I'm sure the rank and file of the valley would not be thrilled to know the valley's role in this special arrangement."

Mender's mind spun. _This is supposed to be secret! Cynnil is going to be livid!_ Taking a deep breath her mind shifted entirely to her duties.

"Who told you?" _This is too important for us to mess it up!_

Pearl's smile faded and was replaced with an understanding nod, "A herd of domeheads were talking near the stream when we first overheard the rumors," she gestured towards the stream ahead of them, "The rest of them appeared to not take it seriously. But I talked to Volant the next time she visited for the usual exchange of news…"

 _Oh no… It is all over. If far-walkers are talking and Volant knows that someone is talking…_

"It turns out that was one with a reputation for telling tall-tales so the elders of the valley decided that the best way to prevent rumors from spreading was to ensure that it was seen as the ramblings of a liar."

Mender blinked, _Are you trying to kill me, Pearl? I thought all was lost!_ "Isn't that risky? I mean, what if people start believing him?"

"Secrets are seldom held for long, Mender. The valley just wants to make sure that their part in the alliance can run its course," Pearl gestured towards the fastbiter, "Making any rumors seem absurd helps to ensure this."

 _I wonder how many people underestimate you, Pearl. You had us already figured out before we even arrived._

Mender shook her head, "Don't take this the wrong way, ma'am… er… Pearl. But you make 'the talk' that Haven gave me seem normal in comparison."

Pearl laughed, "No worries, Mender. I just thought that you should know where we stand. You have graciously told us part of your story, it is only right that you should know that we know another part."

"Do Arial and Orchid know?" Mender asked.

Pearl shook her head, "I figured that you might tell them in time."

Mender paused as she considered the situation, "I will need to talk to Cynnil… but if she has no objections then we can tell that part of the story as well. You… you do understand how important this is?"

Pearl nodded, "Absolutely. Trust me, when one has lived in the Mysterious Beyond for so long one understands the value of a helpful hand," she went silent for as she could see the purple form of her son appear in the distance, "Looks like the others are awake. Anything else you would like to talk about outside of listening ears?"

Mender snorted, "The tale about 'the talk' can be left out in front of the kids I think."

Pearl smiled.

Mender blinked. "…you're serious?"

"Well gathering the fish in silence would be boring wouldn't it?" Pearl added with a smile, "And not to mention I am curious how Haven gave you the talk. It was awkward when I had to give Ruby the talk. But I had to in case she found someone around the valley."

A laugh echoed in her ears, "Well, she kind of did, didn't she?"

Pearl shook her head as she laughed as well, "Indeed! Littlefoot was not who we had in mind for her, but fate proved to find a way. But… I do believe someone is delaying."

Mender rolled her eyes, _Now I see how you get all of the gossip._ "Alright, there actually isn't a song for this, but it is kind of a funny tale. After the meal Haven had a few words with me… but little did I know at the time that Seeker was planning on a meeting of his own the next morning."

* * *

 **Nighttime, after the events of the previous chapter's song:**

 _I like this feeling,_ Violet thought to herself as she helped Tracker back to the nest, leaving Dodger free to act if anything unexpected happened. _Two days without eating or sleeping isn't fun, but happens far too often. Better not get used to feeling full. Complacency is dangerous._

She suppressed a laugh, _Great, now I sound like my brother._

"So what was it that you were going to tell me? Violet asked Tracker, trying to mentally change topics. The whispered reply nearly made her drop her friend.

"You two did what?" She looked from her best friend to her brother and back as she processed the reality of the situation. _It's about time. My brother's not afraid of a rampaging pack but is terrified of asking Tracker what she thinks of him._

"Congratulations," Violet offered with sincerity.

"Thanks," Tracker replied happily. She looked over to see Violet stifling a yawn. "Tired?"

"A little bit," she admitted. _But I don't need sleep as much as you... you need to rest for the sake of your leg._

Arriving at the makeshift nest, Violet let Tracker down, careful not to jostle her injury. Dodger took up a position a short distance away but with a good view of the surrounding area. Even in presumed safety, caution was always justified. Violet then looked around for a spot for herself.

She did not notice her brother focus his gaze on a new arrival.

"Evening, Violet," Ducky greeted with more than a little nervousness and uncertainty, "Is everything going well?"

Violet barely hid her surprise as she took in a breath. This may have been the same dinosaur that had injured her packmate, but she knew that Ducky meant no further harm. Her kind actions since then had confirmed that.

"Everything's great, Tracker's leg aside," Violet said. For once she could actually say that and mean it.

Ducky smiled. "That is good, it is, it is!" She looked behind Violet for a moment and noted that everyone else had settled for sleep, with only Dodger's gaze tracker movements. Only then did she decide to continue, "Um… I know it is late, but can I talk to you for a moment… in private."

Unsure, Violet out of habit looked to Dodger for help. After a pause, Dodger gave a slight nod, granting permission if she felt she needed it.

"Sure," Violet replied, sounding very unsure of her answer. She didn't think this was a trap, at least not a lethal kind, but it still seemed odd to her. _What does she want?_

Ducky nodded at her answer and hunkered down in a somewhat submissive gesture to indicate the lack of any threat. Then, with a slight gesture of her hand, she guided her towards the stream. The smell of Ducky's nervousness and embarrassment following behind her.

 _Something's up; she sounded nervous. What would she have to be nervous about? This is her territory._ Violet was starting to think she'd never understand the green fastbiter she was following.

Violet's uncomprehending gaze was noticed by her companion.

 _I will need to get to the point…_ Ducky noted to herself as the forest began to clear as the stream came into focus in front of her, _I can tell that she is getting uneasy._

With another slight gesture she pointed at a small clearing in front of some fragrant bushes. She didn't wait for a response before she sat down.

"I… am sure that you are wondering why I took you out here…"

"Yeah. I'm a bit confused," Violet admitted, sitting down next to Ducky.

Ducky hesitated as she forced herself to make eye contact with Violet. "Um... forgive me… this is the first time that I have had this talk with someone. It is not easy for me, nope, nope, nope. It is something that a mommy usually gives, but um..."

"My mom, for all I know, is dead," Violet bluntly finished for her.

"Yeah…" Ducky confirmed awkwardly, "My Mommy couldn't have this conversation with me either, because she well... was a swimmer… so I had to learn it from Path's Daddy and Taunt's Daddy. I will tell you what they told me, as you are an adult in the eyes of the pack now."

Violet stayed silent but looked a bit embarrassed at the reminder that she was still technically a child until earlier that day.

"I don't mean to be rude, Violet, but… did your Mommy and Daddy have time to tell you about… um... adult things?" Ducky looked almost helpless as she gestured towards the stream. "Like how eggs happen? Things like that?"

"A little bit, and I can't remember much of what they did say. I wasn't paying too much attention." Violet was more embarrassed by her prior lack of attention than anything Ducky had said.

Ducky's expression paled. "Um… okay… let me put it this way… how much do you know about the flyers and the buzzers?"

Violet actually looked alarmed at that. Dodger, who had actually listened to their parents, had explained a few things that she had asked about when they were trying to find a target during the threehorns' mating time. That was a day best forgotten, especially the near-death experience when some of the males had spotted and attempted to kill them. "A bit too much for not being of age," Violet said.

Ducky took a deep breath. "Alright… at least you don't need to learn about that…" She twisted her hands in an attempt to control her nerves. In the end she simply blurted out her next question bluntly, "Do you know how our kind picks mates?"

"Not really. I asked Dodger when we were watching a threehorn herd, and we were spotted before he could answer. I forgot to ask again. Things got really bad for a while..." _Well, worse than usual_ , she silently corrected herself.

Ducky nodded. "Well let's start there so that you don't accidentally accept a courtship you don't want. That would not be good, no, no, no!" She resumed after a pause, "If you already have a male that you like, and that it is obvious you will bond with, then no ritual needs to be done. Taunt has a rather Taunt-like name for that."

"I'm not sure I want to know," Violet said, laughing a bit more than she meant to due to how awkward she had been feeling.

 _A mounting in wait,_ Ducky's mind responded, but Ducky kept that to herself. "But anyway… you don't exactly have a male that strikes your fancy right now, do you?"

Violet looked at Ducky like she'd grown a second head. _Duh. The only male fastbiter that I know at all_ _and_ _don't want to kill is my_ _brother._ "Um, no."

Ducky nodded. "Then when you find a male that you want _in that way_ , or when a male decides he wants you in that way, then a courtship offering will be given."

"How does that work?" _And how does finding a male that wants to even be my friend, nevermind my mate, work?_

"You will be given a sweet bubble or, if that is not available, the head of some prey. Then the male, or you, will mark the other's sleeping area."

"Okay…" _This is a bit complicated. I hope I remember all this._

"If you accept the offering then that means that you accept his advances. If you chase him off then that is a 'no'," Ducky added unnecessarily, "Unless things go very bad then that is the only courtship that you would have to worry about."

"Very bad?" Violet could guess what she meant, but was still trying to process everything.

Ducky's expression turned so cold that it frightened Violet at some level. "It.. was something that Thud warned us about… and something that some of the survivors that brought us Calin's tail told us about… if a pack is destroyed and there are survivors, then the winning pack might give the survivors a horrible choice." Ducky looked away, not wanting to think about the stories that she had heard from Calin's pack. Calin valued power and domination over all else. The effects of that were horrifying. "If that ever happens and only you and Tracker are left then that would be a choice for you to make. I would choose death."

"Oh." Violet really couldn't think of anything else to say. She shook herself, feeling quite chilled suddenly.

Ducky paused for several moments, allowing her emotions to recede. "Not all packs are honorable, or even agree on what is honorable. A pack which takes new members by force is a pack to avoid. Some of those poor females didn't even know which male was the father… many of the males cried remembering what they had to do to prove how 'strong' they were… we had to kill fastbiters who were even greater victims than we were…" Her anger erupted finally. "One death was too good for Calin!"

As Ducky clawed at the poor bush in front of her Violet could only look on. To see Ducky react with such hatred was horrifying on so many levels.

"Haven," Violet said softly, not sure what to say, "Haven, he's dead. He can't hurt anyone anymore."

Ducky tried to suck in a deep breath as tears emerged from her eyes. She tried to focus on the happier memories from when they met that pack. The male and the female who reaffirmed their mating under better circumstances… the male who agreed to care for children who were not his own, albeit from a safe distance… the two females who paired together to care for their respective unwanted families who soon turned into an unexpected blessing… life had found a way to reassert itself after the abomination that was Calin. That was a point that she had to focus on.

"I know, Violet… It is just so hard to unhear such things... " She sighed as she tried to wipe her tears. "Alright, lesson number two about being an adult. Adults can still cry even though one should try to be strong except in private." She could almost hear Terri's refrain in her mind as she repeated her words.

"Glad to know that's not entirely off-limits," Violet said, happy to be away from the previous topic. _Now that I'm thinking about it, I don't think I've ever seen Dodger cry. I wonder what he does when I can't see him._

Ducky quickly brought her discussion of mating to a close to move on to other things. "Thud told me that there was more to the whole mating thing, but that he would tell us when we were old enough to actually make eggs…" Ducky noted, "So… um… I guess that is all that I can tell you about mating."

Violet opened her mouth to ask a question, but quickly shut it, realizing that Ducky wouldn't know the answer. _I've got to stop letting my mouth get ahead of my head._

Ducky noted the lack of response and inquired, "Do you have any questions about what I just told you?"

"Just a couple things I don't think you'd want to answer," Violet said, feeling embarrassed.

Ducky braced herself, but wanted to make sure that Violet had as many of her questions answered as possible. Mating and courtship was a matter too important to leave to trial and error. "Go ahead."

"Well, one thing I did remember was that my mom was especially protective of us when we were little. Are Tracker and I not going to be friends anymore once she's a mom?"

Ducky thought about this for a moment. "I know that Momma would be protective of new eggs whenever they were laid… I think it is a common thing. I should probably talk to Thud about that sometime, I should, I should." She gave an apologetic nod to Violet. "But I think you and Tracker can stay friends, but maybe you would have to be careful around her nest…"

"Okay." Violet breathed a sigh of relief. "She's the only friend I've got and…well, I don't want to lose that friendship." She took a moment to compose herself. "So what's the next thing?"

Ducky sighed internally, being glad that particular part of her conversation was over. _This is a pack of orphans… I wonder how much of our kind's signals they know._

"The next thing I need to talk to you about is a bit more complicated… how much do you know about um… pack dominance?" Ducky asked softly.

"You mean, like how leadership works?" Violet asked.

 _Not much then._ Ducky shook her head. "That is part of it… I also mean about… well… how everyone in the pack is ranked. How much do you know about all of that?"

"I know I used to get pushed around quite a bit at home before Dodger started pushing back for me. I know Tracker got pushed around in her old pack. _I_ used to push her around before we became friends."

Ducky looked a bit disappointed by her answer. "So if Dodger could not give orders for some reason, who would order whom?"

"Before yesterday, it was always went Prowler, Dodger, then Dodger's escape plan. I always wondered why each hunting strategy had an escape plan. Tracker and I never had a situation where we'd be in charge of anything." Violet felt increasingly embarrassed as she kept talking. She knew that this didn't reflect well on her.

"I see. Seeker will probably have to have a word with Dodger as well. An escape plan is good, but a pack needs to have a clear line of rank. If the worst happens then you don't want those that remain to fight…" Ducky noted, "In our pack we did not come to tooth and claw to decide who was leader, but we did have a few... um… play fights to decide on where some of us were."

"May I ask what your order is?"

Ducky looked completely surprised. "You couldn't tell?"

"Not really. I figured out Seeker is the leader, but that's obvious."

Ducky looked towards Violet with more than a little pity. "You all are in the same place that my friends were before Thud and Dein told us how things worked. We will _definitely_ have to talk to both of your friends about this as well. These details are not often said, but need to be noticed unless you want to risk problems when meeting other packs." Ducky sighed. "...and trust me, you really want to avoid problems when meeting new people. You do, you do."

Ducky collected her thoughts for a moment. "What does this gesture tell you?" She barely adjusted the gaze of her eyes to a place just below Violet's nose.

Violet wracked her brain for the answer but came up short. Most of her pack's gestures were somewhat large and very, very obvious in what they meant. "I'm not sure. Oh, Dodger's gonna kill me for this."

Ducky nodded as she slightly lowered her tail and tilted her head downward slightly, "...and this?

"I think that might be yielding, but Prowler would have considered that borderline defiance." Violet somewhat copied Ducky but moved her head much lower. "This would be acceptable."

Ducky's face darkened at the mention of Prowler, but she quickly returned to her contemplative expression. "The first gesture was how one would acknowledge that the other person is of higher rank than them, but that they may challenge them in the future, but not today." Violet did not hide her astonishment, being surprised by the amount of information that one gesture communicated. "The second was how one would acknowledge a person of at least two ranks higher than them, and your gesture was how one would acknowledge that they were the lowest of the pack. Only this would be lower."

Ducky lowered herself to the ground with her tail extended backwards and her snout and entire body touching the ground. "This means surrender. It tells the opposing pack that they may do with you however they wish."

"Oh," Violet said, "I saw Tracker making that surrender gesture once. I can't remember when, but I do remember Dodger getting between her and Prowler so fast he knocked me over in the process. I think it was during a time of hunger madness." _Which means it was probably during a Cold Time._

"Did they fight after that?" Ducky asked without emotion.

"No, but it got really close."

Ducky nodded. "Considering Dodger has decided that Tracker is the one, and that gesture means complete submission, I am not surprised. Prowler might have taken it as an invitation had he been older." Ducky darkened. "Based upon what you all have said, he seemed like the sort who would have done that."

Violet didn't comment. She just looked at the ground, ashamed at how damaged her pack was. She was also bothered by how many times she'd stood back and let Dodger get into the middle of everything without backing him up.

"It isn't your fault, Violet. Your pack didn't know better, even if your instincts did. I bet Dodger only knew the surrender gesture because it is something that is natural to us." She made a comforting grunt in her direction. "Would you like to know the other gestures?"

"Yes, please," Violet said.

Ducky raised her head and focused directly into Violet's eyes. "This is a threat."

"I've noticed," Violet said, having seen that glare far too many times.

Ducky averted her eyes. "This is a threat declined. A way of showing submission."

She then stared back into Violet's eyes and exposed the edges of her mouth. "Threat escalated." This was followed by exposing all of the teeth. "Threat escalated further… and then growls, roars, and charges would be further escalations. But you probably already know all that?"

"I couldn't have described it like that, but I've definitely seen and done those. That's how I got these." Violet gestured to some scars on her side. "Prowler and I got into a verbal fight, and it, um, escalated. Dodger talked to Prowler and told me it would never happen again from Prowler's end, and I'd better not start anything either. That kept me from getting hurt a few times, but I still ended up with a few more scars."

Violet gestured to the much fresher wounds on her snout. "These were from right before I ran into Stern Claw and you." Violet didn't know that that "talk" was Dodger warning Prowler that any physical attack on Violet or Tracker would be treated as an attack against himself. Had she known, she might have bothered to tell her brother the attacks hadn't entirely stopped after that.

Ducky nodded sadly and quickly switched her position. She raised her gaze to just above eye level. "This is how one acknowledges that they are of higher rank than another. We usually only do this before a hunt or when one of us needs to pull rank. Otherwise we are pretty easy-going. You might have seen this little gesture right before the hunt."

"I saw Finder doing that. I was wondering what that meant."

Ducky smiled. "It can really get odd when Seeker assigns some of us to be group leaders. It makes sense as strength is only one part of leadership, but it can make things confusing. Seeker was technically part of Ponder's group even though he gave her control over that group, which means that he was taking orders from her until he said otherwise," she laughed, "It allows all of us to get experience and to do the jobs that suit us best, but it can get confusing. It does, it does."

"I'll say," Violet said. She hesitated for a moment. "Haven, I haven't made Dodger look too bad, have I? He wasn't the pack leader until today, and still wouldn't be if I hadn't acted like the child I was."

Ducky placed a hand on her shoulder. "No one can blame you, Violet. Until today you were a pack of children, who didn't know any better. You had to teach yourselves how to survive, and you did a fine job of that. Now just let us help you learn the rest." She smiled for a moment as if she were recalling something, "Seeker, Stern Claw, Ponder, Taunt, Finder, Path, Breeze, and then me. Spotter is a special case, and Thud's pack is a special case when they are with us."

Violet looked at Ducky skeptically, finding it very hard to believe that Ducky could possibly be at the bottom of the hierarchy.

"Okay, I'm confused. Why is every single pair split up? And how is the giant mouth with the giant teeth nearly at the bottom?" _And why are you at the bottom? You're much nicer than Stern Claw when you don't want to kill someone._

Ducky smiled at the innocence of her question. "As I said, there is more to rank than strength, at least in our pack. Our ranks are based upon how ready we are to be leaders. Stern Claw served us well as leader when Seeker was injured by Calin, Ponder often takes over as Seeker's delegate when he has to deal with something else, and Taunt is surprisingly capable despite him being Taunt. As for Path he is still growing up and learning."

Ducky paused for a moment. "The first three ranks are agreed upon by us all, as is Path's rank, but the others are decided by strength in our play fights. That is not my strength."

"Oh. Ours were in part decided by our hatching order and partially by who our parents are. Prowler's father was our pack leader. My father is, was, the pack deputy. Dodger was hatched before I was and was trained to lead whether he wanted to or not. It's all he knows. I wasn't trained so intensively. Tracker is younger than I, but Dodger supports her just as much as he does me, so Tracker and I never tried to figure out where we stood after my really stupid attempt to 'put her in her place'. Dodger had to intervene there." _And by intervene I mean 'pin me to the ground'. To be fair, he_ did _warn me..._

Ducky looked at her sympathetically. "Respect is more important than rank. Sometimes the sharptooth that keeps the pack together can be amongst the lowest of the low. A healer may not win many fights, but they can allow you to live to fight another one. A prankster might not be a leader, but they can make the leader see their errors. You must never forget that." She then looked at Violet's scars. "You will need to sort out your rank, however, unless you want things to remain uneasy between you two. It is just the way our kind is that we are happier when we know where we stand. We can show you two a way to settle that without as much risk of hurting one another badly."

"Is there a way just to tell Tracker she outranks me?" Violet asked as Ducky looked at her with surprise, "I know my strengths, and thinking ahead isn't one of them. With only three of us, we might find ourselves as you said dealing with who is supposed to be in charge. I know she's smarter than me. I can't even stay calm enough long enough not to get my best friend and my brother killed. You saw that. I'd probably have died before I even hurt you, but you could see that I would've tried. I nearly wrecked everything because I couldn't keep my head."

Ducky looked into Violet's eyes. "Violet, the fact that you just told me that shows that you are smarter than you give yourself credit for. You are willing to put your pack ahead of your own glory. That shows that however unsuitable you may be for leader, you are infinitely better than Prowler. So from one pack bottom to another, trust me on this: you are valued and important." She smiled as she saw the emotion in Violet's eyes. "Now this is how you concede rank…"

* * *

 **Back to the present:**

"Wow, so many gestures!" Arial muttered, "I'm glad that all we need to know when we see a sharptooth is to run."

"And all I have to do to get a mate is to find a willing female and chase her down. None of this find a sweet bubble stuff and then… Ow!"

"Thank you, Dad!" Arial replied with a shake of the head as Orchid rubbed where one of his feathers had been pulled on by the elder fastrunner.

Mender, meanwhile, was sighed in a mixture of embarrassment and uncertainty. _So much for keeping this part of my story from the others. At least Buse isn't here right now._

"So… how did the conversation with Dodger go?" Buse's voice called out from close behind.

Mender sighed as she glared at Pearl as the fastrunner gave her an apologetic smile. Cynnil then did her best to direct Buse back towards the stream to gather fish, though it was obvious that he was still listening in. _Well, at least the most embarrassing part is over with._

"It makes sense that there would be a focus on the details of pack life. For a sharptooth that can mean the difference between success and an early death," Detras affirmed as his son still gave him a playful glare, "Though despite my son's words he has had a few lessons on how to read the signals of other kinds.

"Yeah…" Orchid admitted reluctantly, "But the fact that you had to learn these meant that these aren't instinct, right?"

Mender nodded, "Right. The surrender gesture I guess we all kind of knew in some way… and I guess the mating ritual would have come around um… when it's that time… but not most of the others."

This made Orchid curious, "Daddy, does that mean that fastbiters elsewhere would have different signals?"

Detras shrugged, "Probably… though I haven't gone far enough in the Mysterious Beyond to figure out, son." The elder fastbiter then smiled, "Maybe that can be your next adventure? You could go far past Seeker's territory and…"

"Dad!" Orchid protested, as Detras dodged his son's playful nip. This was enough to make the others laugh. It wasn't until several moments later that the two males realized that Mender had taken to examining Arial's injury again.

Arial sighed, "It's fine, Mender…"

Mender lightly tapped a part of Arial's foot, making her grunt in pain, "That is a bit worse than last night. Have you been putting much weight on that foot?"

"I told you that you shouldn't have walked to the relieving spot by yourself!"

"Shush, brother!"

Mender gave Arial a stern look, "Allow someone to help you next time, Arial. The swelling won't go down until you give it time to heal."

Arial sighed as she looked at the offending foot, "Sorry… it just gets so annoying sometimes."

"I have certainly heard that before," Buse blurted, "Remember when you helped that threehorn, Mender?"

Only the slightest hint of a growl left Mender's throat. _Buse, you know what I think about threehorns…_

Thankfully for her Detras was there to the rescue, "Before we get to what I assume is a most interesting story there… I am curious; how did Seeker's conversation go?"

Mender barely hid her relief as she tried to think back, "Well… I wasn't there so I can only tell you what my brother told me seasons later. But as he told me then, it was a conversation that stuck with him."

* * *

 **Back to the past, the next morning:**

Littlefoot watched as the dark blue fastbiter gleefully dug into the remains of the already disemboweled swimmer. He had expected the scrappy sharptooth to be swift in obtaining an easy breakfast.

" _When one is raised in hunger they seldom turn down a good meal… or wait for others."_

Littlefoot frowned as he recalled Dein's words from seasons ago. Dein had been speaking of his own family, but he very easily could have been speaking of the gang themselves. It took many seasons in the valley before their habit of rushing to food before everyone else had dissipated.

This was different, however. The looks that Dodger was giving to his sides was indicative of being afraid of being attacked. It was the sort of actions that one would expect of the runt of an unruly clutch.

 _Or of a poorly-led pack,_ Littlefoot noted, _a pack where even the second-in-command had to fear the pack leader._

Frowning, Littlefoot stepped out of the bushes and resisted the urge to flinch upon seeing Dodger's momentarily panicked expression. The fastbiter quickly recovered, but failed to hide his reaction from Littlefoot. Dodger would not have to worry about such underhanded tactics here.

But that didn't mean Dodger was aware of that fact.

Dodger deliberately stepped back from the swimmer corpse and kept his head down. _Should I apologize? Or stay quiet?_ He decided on the latter, waiting for Littlefoot to speak first.

Instead Littlefoot merely tilted his head to an extremely slight degree before raising it again and tilting it up in a quick fashion, as if he were doing some kind of odd reverse nod. He held his gaze towards Dodger for a few seconds, as if he were waiting for some kind of response, before looking away in a somewhat disappointed fashion. Then Littlefoot, like Dodger had been, proceeded to tear into the swimmer's already exposed viscera.

 _I'm missing something,_ Dodger thought, _Better not say anything and look even more foolish than I already do. Maybe I should just leave…_ He started backing up a few steps, intending to leave unnoticed.

"It is odd to concede rank when another acknowledges that you are equal to them," the voice of Littlefoot nonchalantly muttered, "Why do you retreat?"

Dodger froze at almost the same time his brain did. _Say what?_ Besides not recognizing the gesture Dodger was almost as shocked by the reference to being equals. Last he checked he'd had to _surrender_ to Littlefoot. That definitely didn't suggest that the two were equals. Dodger tried to respond but he couldn't think of a single thing to say. _Would bashing my head into a tree be too embarrassing? I'm such an idiot._

Littlefoot looked at the backside of the seemingly frozen fastbiter. _I think that I have confused him enough._

"There is no harm in admitting what you do not know, Dodger. Did you not understand my gesture? Or did I confuse you in some way?"

"I didn't recognize the gesture, sir," Dodger replied, trying to rebalance himself, "I also wasn't aware of my standing."

Littlefoot's expression turned expressionless for a moment before he nodded and extended his arm towards the kill. "What do you think this gesture means?"

"An invitation," Dodger replied. He'd actually seen that before.

Littlefoot nodded. "Correct. If you don't mind then perhaps we can talk while we eat."

Dodger nodded his agreement.

Littlefoot watched as the fastbiter cautiously walked back to his position and picked at the swimmer's abdomen. Littlefoot likewise took a few bites from the prey's chest cavity as he waited for the awkwardness of the previous moments to dissipate. Then he spoke with a curious tone.

"When someone has little food they get in the habit of not taking any for granted. Were you like this when you were with your parents, or was it your time alone that made you this way?"

"Mostly my time with my pack. Food isn't exactly something we get that much of," Dodger said before muttering, "except maybe for Prowler." Had he been caught by his former leader, his options were to either withdraw or risk rapid escalation. The pronounced size difference between the two in last year or so made the latter option very dangerous.

Littlefoot nodded. "My friends learned to eat whenever food was around when we searched for the Great Valley. Starvation is often an effective teacher." He nearly spat out the word 'teacher' as he recalled those barren days. Even after everything that he had been through those earliest of days still left a mark. "But you looked somewhat panicked when you saw that I was approaching. You don't have to fear me, Dodger, I am not Prowler."

"If you were I'd already be dead."

Littlefoot frowned at this and took another bite of the swimmer. _Well this conversation is quickly turning darker than I had hoped,_ he thought mockingly to himself, _I hope that Ducky's conversation with Violet went better than this!_ Finally, however, he decided to start again.

"When I was a longneck I grew up without a herd. Only my mother and grandparents were with me. So there was much about herd life that I never learned." He frowned at the fact that he obviously would never learn it now. Except for those bits that he learned from occasionally hunting his former kind. "Would it be fair to say that there is much about pack life that you never learned?"

"My father tried to teach me as much as I could handle for my age, especially since I was supposed to teach my siblings if anything happened to him, but it's been so long… and my education ended when I was nine, so I know there's quite a bit I don't know." _And there's even less I can teach,_ Dodger mentally added.

Littlefoot nodded. "What my pack learned all came from Path's parents and from Thud, Taunt's father. There is so much that a fastbiter has to know in order to survive, but even more he has to know in order to understand the rest of his kind. Instincts only tell us so much..." He looked at Dodger with a sympathetic expression. "If you had made that retreat to another fasbiter, then he could have interpreted that as an invitation to take control of your pack. Some of these things are very important."

"Yeah," Dodger sighed, grimacing. He was barely into his second day as a pack leader, and he was already making major mistakes. _Maybe surrendering command to someone more competent would actually be a good thing…, but I'm never saying_ that _out loud._

Littlefoot frowned slightly at the one-word response, but continued on, "Would you like to be taught some of these things that you may have missed?"

"Yes, sir," Dodger replied as calmly as he could, trying not to sound too eager or worse desperate.

Littlefoot smiled slightly at Dodger's tone. Despite the overly formal tone the hint of friendly eagerness was clearly present. "Good. First we need to see what gestures that you know. Which greetings do you know?"

"Admittedly, just this." Dodger nodded his head in demonstration. "Most of what I know involves acknowledging relative ranks. Concession, for some reason, was something I was never taught."

Littlefoot blinked. "They never taught you how to concede rank? I mean… I don't actually know when a fastbiter would be taught that… but it can mean the difference between life and death." He shook his head. "Well… let's start with greetings. This is how you greet a non-relative of higher rank."

He bowed his head a bit lower than a nod. His eyes did not focus on Dodger during the process.

"This is how you greet a non-relative outside, or no particular rank." He repeated the gesture but kept his eyes focused on Dodger warily. "And this is how you greet someone of lower rank."

He nodded his head ever so slightly but he kept his eyes focused on Dodger. It was as if his gesture was simultaneously open, yet self-assured. "The gesture for a friendly non-relative of equal rank you have already seen."

"I sorta recognized those," Dodger said, "I was in the middle of learning gestures when, well, you know what happened." That last bit was added by a need to explain himself and somewhat defend the pack he was hatched in.

Littlefoot bowed his head in a show of respect. "I understand that they didn't have time to teach you all of these things. Please don't think that I am insulting their memory. I only hope that I can help finish what they started."

"I wish I hadn't forgotten so much. So, what's next?" Dodger was eager to change the subject, being unsure how to reply to what Littlefoot had said.

Littlefoot quickly continued, "This is how you concede rank… but first…"

Littlefoot gave a bow, tilting his body forward and raising his tail into the air.

"I want to do that to make sure that anyone seeing this knows that this is for play, and that I am not conceding to you."

He then averted his eyes towards the ground and opened his arms to his sides. He then turned his back to Dodger and continued to keep his head bowed.

"You can also offer your neck to the person you are conceding to. But turning your back and offering no resistance also gets the message across. It shows that you offer no resistance or thoughts of defending yourself."

"At least that one's obvious once seen," Dodger said, glad that there was at least one gesture that couldn't be mistaken for another, "Some of these are too similar for my liking."

Littlefoot nodded. "That is true. It is just like the sharptooth language, full of variation and meaning. That is very different from the leaf-eater language. But when one has claws misunderstandings are best to avoid."

"I've run into a few packs that were very clear in their intent without bothering with language. They skipped straight to the claws. I still don't understand why we were a target. We were never anywhere near a claimed territory, as far as I know, in all but one instance when we got ambushed." Dodger shivered a little bit. "I _hate_ tall grass."

Littlefoot growled to himself. "Orphans attacking orphans. Unfortunately we have had some experiences like that. Fastbiters who never learned the basics and who only knew how to survive through tooth and claw. I guess if we had never found Dein and Terri then we could have become like that."

"I'm actually not certain Tracker or even Violet would stick with me if they knew just how little I actually _know_ ," Dodger said half to himself, half to Littlefoot, "If they knew how much I had to figure out through trial and error you'd probably have two new fastbiters asking to join your pack."

Littlefoot's expression turned grim. "I highly doubt that, Dodger, I have seen the way they look at you. They respect you. They would only join another pack if you decided to do so. Besides, it is the ability to learn and understand your own failings that makes a good leader, not the knowledge that a leader knows."

"I hope you're right. Are there any other gestures I should know? If something happens to me I want them to be able to integrate into another pack without a lot of difficulty."

Littlefoot blinked. "There are many gestures, and every pack makes their own for hunting and talking amongst themselves, but the gestures for concessions and greetings are important. But also… um…" he sunk into a hushed tone, "...you know about peace offerings and pack challenges don't you?"

"Somewhat, but can we go over them a bit? I've never done either personally."

Littlefoot closed his eyes but forced down his exasperation. The failure to offer a peace offering when entering another pack's territory would invite an attack… hence leading to the pack challenge. But Dodger obviously needed to learn more of the basics. Littlefoot had not expected Dodger to not know some of these.

"The gestures for partings can be the same as the greetings, but with a friendly grunt and a step back. Or, of course, you could just wish the person well and walk away… the gestures for courtship are interesting. Leaving a sweet bubble or small prey in another's sleeping area is how one invites such things… which can lead to misunderstandings as we found out…"

Dodger blinked. "Oh?"

Littlefoot sighed with amusement. "Well… Dein and Terri did not know about fastbiter mating rituals because… well… I am sure that they did not care to learn… so when Taunt got sick one day Finder and I decided to drop off some sweet bubbles by his sleeping area. Needless to say he was very confused."

"Taunt's the one you sent me with when finding the healing plants, right?"

Littlefoot nodded. "Yeah… Let's just say that he earned his pack name, but even he was silenced by our little gesture." Littlefoot then squirmed in embarrassment. "He had to explain to us what giving food without bowing first meant."

"There was a time when he was quiet? When we were looking for the plants, his idea of breaking the awkward silence was to rant about some 'capture the head' game. Apparently the girls are on a winning streak, and it bothers him. I thought he'd never shut up." _Now if I can just get someone to explain this game to me…_

Littlefoot sighed. "That is Taunt. He is a loyal and trusted friend, but he would never let a crisis keep him from telling a joke or ranting. He once told me that the reason fate hasn't killed him is because it doesn't want to hear him talk for all eternity. I am tempted to believe him."

"Is it okay if I run some of this over to Tracker? It's a bit far for her with her leg injured." Dodger didn't want to cut the conversation short, but he was starting to feel guilty eating while his two packmates were still asleep.

Littlefoot smiled coyly at him. "Going to try to make it official, huh?"

Dodger tripped a bit after he processed what Littlefoot had said. _There is not a good way to answer that, especially when the answer is 'yes'._ "Um…"

Littlefoot laughed. "It's alright! I am just happy for you is all! Though we will need to make sure that you know all that you need to know when you all are well enough to leave."

Dodger nodded, noting that Littlefoot had said the critical word 'leave'. The other pack seemed willing to make sure they would be much better prepared for what lay ahead of them. _Maybe things will turn out alright after all._ "I hope I remember more in the future," Dodger said.

Littlefoot smiled. "Practice makes perfect. We could have all of you practice some of these. Besides, we have to teach you how to play Capture the Head. Perhaps with you on our team we can finally beat the females' winning streak!"

"Sounds like fun." _Violet and competition...someone's going to have explain to her that nearly getting herself killed to win a_ game _is not an option._ He sighed. _How do you teach caution to your sister when she doesn't know the meaning of the word?_

* * *

 **Sorry for the delay, everyone. That is mostly my fault as work has been chaotic lately. Hopefully I can get back to a chapter-a-week schedule soon. Nonetheless, I do hope you enjoy the latest chapter and I look forward to your thoughts. (:**

 **bryan mccloud:** Quite correct. Only now that Littlefoot has clarified the mating ritual is he going to make it 'official'. I suppose when the instincts took hold he would have found out the 'proper way' to perform the ritual. But this way they can fulfill that necessity without waiting until their instincts force their hands. As for Littlefoot's realization that is quite true. This is a big step for her, but a surprising one as well.

 **gordhanx:** Thanks for the detailed review. (: Yeah, the fastrunners are quite aware of Mender's uneasiness and offered to give her an out, but she decided to persevere. As for Dodger and Seeker opening up a bit, we have certainly seen a bit of this in this chapter. As for the details in this chapter, I realize that it is a bit conversation-heavy (hence the chapter title d-;) but some rather unsettling details have been mentioned. A reminder about how dark and 'lawless' the Mysterious Beyond can truly be. This may be important to consider later on...

 **JulianR94:** Thank you for the reviews, once again. (: As I have already responded to them via PM, I will not elaborate on them here. But I do look forward to your thoughts on the latest installment.

Until next time, I hope everyone has a wonderful week. (:


	7. Chapter 6: A Friendly Game

**-v-**

 **Chapter 6: A friendly game**

"Urgh… how is this supposed to help again?"

Mender watched Arial's progress with a keen eye. While sitting on one of the flat rocks found in abundance in Hanging Rock she slowly brought her ankle and foot as far up as she could manage before bringing them down again. It was obvious that the exercise was having the desired effect.

"Your bone-vines are tight," Mender said, pointing at the location where Arial's sprained ligament was located, "Your wincing was a sign of that. So now we are pulling them to loosen them."

Arial grunted as she glared at the fastbiter. What would have been an amazing sight if the fastbiter in question were a hostile one and not her healer. "You mean _I_ am pulling them. So let me get this straight: I am causing myself pain to stop me from having pain?"

Mender blinked, _Well she is not in a good mood. At least this is better than when we tried this on Buse._ "It is meant to stop your bone-vines from getting hurt worse. It may not make much sense, but it works." Mender thought for a moment before gesturing in the rough direction of the valley, "When Buse had a sprain I sent a flyer to ask the rainbowfaces about it. They recommended it."

Arial grunted again as some obscenities that Mender didn't quite understand were muttered under Arial's breath. Within a few moments, however, she stopped the exercise, breathing heavily.

"That's good, Arial. You were able to do twenty, so that is a good sign."

Arial leaned her head back as she rubbed the offending leg, "How am I ever going to get better at this rate?"

"How is my little girl?"

Mender rose in order to greet Detras's gaze. He stood upon another flattened rock on the rockface of the ravine, with an inquisitive look on his face. All of his attention was on his daughter, however. It was not lost on Mender that this was a question meant for two people.

"She is getting better. We were working on loosening her bone-vines."

Arial groaned, "If this is what you call working then I wonder what you call torture."

Mender gritted her teeth with concern, _Please don't be mad, Detras… I am doing this to help your daughter._

"I am sure it is for the best, Arial. How much can you stretch your foot now?" Detras asked while giving Mender a respectful nod. If he had noticed how much this relieved Mender, he did not give outward notice.

"Urgh… all the way," Arial answered as she brought her foot and ankle up all of the way and then promptly brought it down again. The grimace on her face still indicated the pain that was present from the movement.

"That is better than before. And the pain should get better the more you do it," Mender affirmed, "We will have you back running around and playing games in no time."

Arial smiled briefly, but couldn't help but to retort, "I am an adult. Adults don't play games."

Detras smiled as he put his hands on his hips, "Oh, is that so? I guess we will just have to not play Find The Fish when you get better then… after all, as you are an adult…"

"Dad!" Arial protested in annoyance.

"Don't listen to her, Dad!" Orchid's voice added, "She is just mad because she knows she can't beat me!"

Detras laughed, "Not too old for that game, huh?"

"You boys are going down next time!" Arial boasted, "Isn't that right, Mom?"

"Right, dear!" Pearl's voice echoed from nearby as the sound of her footsteps and the rest of Mender's pack could be heard. It seemed that her and Arial's physical therapy session was coming to an end for today.

Mender smiled inwardly, _Being this crazy about a game. Now this brings back memories…_

 **As I walked after my sleep** **,**

 **To drink from the stream so deep**

 **A familiar voice made itself known,**

 **No one could miss Taunt's mocking tone**

She didn't realize that she was singing until the first few verses had already left her mouth. When the realization hit her, however, she froze in embarrassment.

"Um… sorry." Mender muttered awkwardly as she nervously flicked her tail behind her, "It's just your talk about the game…"

"Well don't tell us, silly! Finish the song!" came Orchid's playful voice.

"It isn't like I'm going anywhere." Arial affirmed, though her good natured shined through her annoyed words.

As Mender looked at the others, they too nodded for her to continue. _Well, I guess that answers the question of what to do after Arial's treatment. Now where was I…_

She resumed her song as if she had not missed a word.

* * *

 **The past:**

"Not likely, Scales-For-Brains! Just face it: we girls rule, and you boys drool!"

The orange fastbiter looked at his mate with a mischievous tint to his eyes. "So says that girl who is drooling in anticipation."

This caused Cera to touch her mouth with her clawed hand. "Urgh… You know what I meant, you insufferable…"

"Hey, is the head ready yet?"

The argumentative pair turned at the booming voice behind them. They were then face to face with the large purple sharptooth.

"Why? You aren't playing, are you?" Cera offered defensively.

Chomper laughed. "No, as I would win, obviously. But I am eager to see all of you make idiots of yourselves. Me and Spotter have bet some fish on this little game."

Taunt snorted. "So… we are just entertainment for you guys, huh?"

"It about time they get that!" Petrie's voice bellowed from a nearby tree, "You better win this time, Taunt. Me no want to catch fish all day for Path!"

Cera chuckled. "Oh yeah? Then you should have bet on the winning side, Beak-face!"

The four friends traded banter for several moments as Taunt rested his crimson-stained side against the now severed head of the swimmer. For any leaf-eater it would have been a scene from their darkest nightmares, but for the sharpteeth it was a prelude for one of their favorite games. It was in this atmosphere that Violet came onto the scene.

She took a step back, obscuring herself behind a tree before she ended up in the open. _I hope a fight's not about to start._ Violet shifted her balance slightly, preparing to run in case things got ugly. No sense getting drawn into something not involving her pack.

"With Dodger on boy's side, you girls don't stand chance!" came the words of the flyer, "Me not lose fish this time!"

"Ha! With Violet on our team you will have to pay up again, Spotter!"

 _Okay, now it involves me. Not sure what's going on, but since no one's dead yet it might be safe just to ask._ Violet slowly stepped out into the open, her posture oddly submissive. She really didn't want everyone turning on _her_ if her guess was wrong. _Should I say something or just wait to be noticed? Maybe I should have thought this through more…_

"Ah, there she is! Are you ready for Capture the Head, Violet? I imagine this game would be great for you!" Cera spoke quickly, "I was just telling my idiot mate about how he doesn't stand a chance."

Taunt snorted. "Well, feathers-for-brains, it might help if you tell her what the actual game is… considering we kind of helped create it, remember?"

"Yes… you helped create it by stealing the head of my catch… Yes I certainly remember…" she sent a horrific glare Taunt's way, which only seemed to make him smile even wider.

"Oh, the game hasn't started already, has it?" Breeze suddenly appeared from the bushes. "Or is this the usual romantic chat between you two?"

"Could someone please explain to me what's going on?" Violet asked, deliberately trying to keep her voice level. Despite now being pretty sure nothing deadly was going to happen, she was getting increasingly nervous. She was confused as to what the situation actually _was_ and worse didn't have either Dodger or Tracker to help her gauge how she should behave. _Now is a really bad time for me to realize just how much I rely on my packmates,_ Violet thought, _I'm never going to learn anything before it becomes a problem, am I?_

Thankfully it was Chomper who first noticed the confusing series of scents radiating from Violet. Remembering how their first little encounter went, he spoke carefully, "It is alright, Violet. We are just playing around before the game… Stern Claw? Maybe you should explain things to her?"

 _This is normal for you guys? You must be_ really _good friends, then._ Violet knew from experience that an insult could be taken the wrong way and cause serious trouble; once an errant word on her part nearly started a fight.

Cera noted the tone from Chomper and took a closer look at Violet. The signs of near-panic were on her. _Did she think we were actually fighting?_ Suppressing a sigh, she gently explained the situation.

"Capture the Head is a little game that my mate created when he stole the head from one of my kills. When I nearly caught him, he tossed the head to Seeker, and then they made a game of it." She then gestured to the head. "We had to resize the head for this game…"

"Which means that Path took a bite out of it," Breeze offered.

"Yes…" Cera confirmed, "and the goal is going to be for each team to try to place the head in their goal. The first one to three goals wins. If someone manages to bite you or tackle you then you must drop the head. If you fail to do so then Path will give the other team the head close to our goal."

"We call that being hard-assed," Taunt offered, "because if you can handle a bite on the ass…"

"We get it, Taunt!" both Cera and Violet offered simultaneously. Quickly regaining her composure, and not catching Violet's scramble to apologize for her outburst, Cera spoke again, "See, she's learning! She already knows how to deal with Taunt!"

Taunt simply rolled his eyes at the girls, though he did catch the glint of apology from Violet's eyes. _I will have to be careful with her… she is still learning how to have a sense of humor. What kind of horrible packlife has she had?_

Not catching any of this sub-text, Cera continued, "So… any questions, Violet?"

"Um, no, but have any of you seen Dodger? He wasn't there when I woke up." Violet left out that her first reaction at her brother not being in her line of sight was to panic until she remembered where she was.

"No worries; he was with me!"

Violet turned to see the advancing form of Seeker appear from the stream. His red crest feathers gave him a horrific glint, which was not matched by his friendly tone.

"I do believe that he is going to give Tracker some fish… to make things official."

Taunt did his best impression of a flyer's mating call, which made everyone present either roll their eyes or sigh in exasperation. "Oh…. should we expect eggs soon?"

Cera growled, "If you keep on asking questions like that then I will render you incapable of making eggs…"

Taunt smiled. "But that is your job… I am only the one who will make you make the eggs…"

"Shut up, Taunt!" nearly everyone yelled at once. This only made Taunt smile even wider.

 _Made everyone tell me to shut up… mission accomplished._

Taunt always did have different goals from everyone else.

 _Is he always like this? Even I am not_ that _bad._ "Maybe I should go find them," Violet suggested, wanting to put some distance between herself and Taunt before she let her annoyance get her into trouble.

"Um…" Taunt began before seeing the glares fall upon him again, "in all seriousness… perhaps you should wait… in case they are occupied."

Littlefoot shook his head in amusement. "Taunt is right… for once," he added under his breath, "Perhaps we should wait until they get over here on their own. I just… um… explained what that ritual means and um… yeah… perhaps we should wait."

"You think they would want privacy? We were there when you and Ponder were united," Ducky noted as she walked onto the scene. Spike followed closely behind her. "Where is she anyway?"

"Trying to avoid Taunt's… um.. taunts," Ruby answered from behind the fastbiter in question, "and also eating some of his fish that he left unprotected."

"My fish?!" Taunt spoke in surprise.

Ruby shrugged. "You never finished them, so finder's keepers. I found it so I kept it!"

"Oh, there they are now," Violet said, hurrying off to help Tracker. Switching places with her brother let her get away from whatever Taunt might say next. _Taunt does not know when to quit._

"You think that we should find Tracker a good spot to watch the game?" Ducky questioned, "It is about as fun to watch as to play… or so Spotter says."

"And me right!" Petrie offered.

Cera nodded. "The same hill as last time?"

Littlefoot nodded. "I don't see why not. That would give her a good view."

"Sounds good to me," Tracker said.

"Could someone explain the rules to me?" Dodger asked, "I'm not entirely certain Violet won't leave anything out." Violet just rolled her eyes.

"Here is a head." Taunt then pointed at the head as if he were explaining things to a child. "You try to put this head in the girl's goal, and stop them from putting it in our goal. If you bite or tackle someone then they have to drop the head. If you don't drop the head then Path eats you."

"Not really!" Chomper clarified as Violet glared at Taunt angrily, "You just get a penalty if that happens… one that doesn't involve me eating you."

"Thanks for the clarification, Path… and yes, besides the Path eating you part…" Littlefoot shook his head at the smiling fastbiter. "...Taunt did get the rules right. Any questions, guys?"

"Nope, I'm good," Dodger replied.

"I'm ready," Violet added.

Littlefoot smiled. "Then let us begin! Ponder, Violet? Get Tracker to the hill so that she has a good view. Then we will do a practice run before the actual game begins."

* * *

 _Well, I'm back up here again,_ Tracker thought to herself. She looked around her. _I'm literally in the exact same spot! Well, it is comfortable, so who cares?_

"Um, Tracker?" Violet asked, sounding rather nervous. _It's now or never._

"Yes, Violet?" Tracker responded, puzzled.

"Haven and I were talking last night, and she said it would be best if we figured out our ranks respective to each other." Violet looked away, a bit embarrassed.

Ruby's grip on Tracker's shoulder suddenly increased. She was uneasy about how this situation might develop.

"Ok…" Tracker braced herself. If Violet wanted to settle this by fighting, Tracker knew she'd lose even if healthy. Any other contest not involving hiding would probably be unwinnable as well. _Maybe I should just concede and be done with it._

"Um, I agreed with her, and, well…"

What Violet did next shocked Tracker and even surprised Ponder. Violet averted her eyes downward, bowed her head, and held her arms open to her sides. Tracker didn't quite recognize the gesture, but, given the context, she could make a very good guess.

Ponder's expression softened. _Oh..._

"You're conceding?" Tracker asked, surprise evident in her voice. Violet took that as an acknowledgment and sat down in front of Tracker, not wanting to stand up right after making such a gesture when Tracker couldn't do so.

"What can I say? You'd make a better leader than I ever will."

Tracker didn't know what to say. She fiercely wanted to deny the statement, but it would be impolite to do so. "Well, thanks for the vote of confidence." Tracker glanced at Ponder. "You should probably get back down there before someone sends a search party."

Violet couldn't help but smile at that. "Let's see if Dodger and I can remember what playing is." Her tone was joking, but her words were serious. Never having a secure territory, her pack hadn't played a single physical game that wasn't a minor skill test, such as rock hopping, since it came into existence. Thought games, however, were something they could and did play regularly. "See you later."

"Good luck!" Tracker called after her friend.

Ponder walked away in silence after the display that she had just seen. She had nodded respectfully, but she was at a loss for words. She had no idea that the pack had never learned such basic gestures, or for that matter, settled their ranks.

"It is… much easier when everyone knows where they stand," Ruby finally spoke as the pack came into sight, "So, um… you never got that settled before?"

"Not really. You could say my getting my first kill sorta unsettled it. Tracker got her first kill when she was… well younger than me. It's actually a pretty funny story in hindsight, if you want to hear it. I wish I could have seen it." Violet said, sounding a bit wistful, "Dodger, well, he had to talk to her about a few things afterwards…" Violet was fighting the urge to laugh at what she remembered Tracker telling her.

"Oh?" Ruby inquired. She was still more than a little unsettled by what she had just seen. She had no idea that the pack was so underdeveloped. It was as if they had meet a pack of children who didn't know the basics of life. Much like them not so long ago…

"Well, before all that happened, we got attacked by another pack that apparently decided we were better food than neighbors. Tracker got cut off from us and fell in the river trying to escape. Dodger jumped in after her." At this Violet rolled her eyes. Her brother's sense of self-preservation was almost nonexistent. "Prowler, despite everything, was Dodger's friend; at least he was at the time. We followed the river, but the current outpaced us. They eventually got out at some point and decided to follow the river themselves to the Big Water. Well, during that time Dodger decided to really teach Tracker how to hunt because her hunting skills were, well, worse than mine currently are."

Ruby shivered at Violet's words. The pack had its own share of dinosaurs being washed down streams. Breeze and Taunt had survived such a journey, while the rest of their pack did not. It seemed that Dodger and Tracker were luckier than the allies that they had lost.

"Eventually they found signs of a swimmer herd and tracked it down. It took a whole day to do that. The next day they attacked. The swimmer almost got away, but Tracker got a lucky strike in. Unfortunately, a two-footer was in the area just watching all this and chased them both off before they got more than a bite out of it. We all found each other at the Big Water a couple days later," Violet finished.

Ruby was silent for several moments as she tried to collect her thoughts. Finally, however, she simply decided to speak her mind. "I'm so sorry… if that is a funny story then your stories must be very sad. We lost allies… One of Taunt's packmates died after washing down a river. Only Taunt and Breeze survived, as you may remember from the song." She shook her head. "I know that Taunt may seem insufferable sometimes, but that is how he deals with what life has given him. We wouldn't have him any other way."

"There's a reason I'm afraid of deep water," Violet replied, "I'm sorry Taunt lost his friends. I was actually screaming at Dodger not to go when he went after Tracker. That was selfish of me. He's saved me from my own mistakes so many times that I…" She couldn't find words to continue, so she just shook her head. "Sorry."

Ruby placed a hand on her shoulder. "We all have to make hard choices when times get tough. When times get tough then we have to make hard choices. I remember when we thought Haven was trapped in the water, but Seeker ordered us to flee… we had no idea that it was a trick to get Thud and Screech away from us. For all Seeker knew he had doomed Haven to death." She looked down. "Then there were other times when we risked everything for one packmate. I don't know what were the right choices, or even if there were right choices, I only hope that we make right choices in the future. I didn't know until I was a fastbiter how hard it could be to know exactly what those were."

"We can only hope," Violet replied. She shook herself, trying to rid herself of unwanted emotions. "Let's get down there before we depress ourselves too much." _I'm a bit too good at doing that by myself, thank you._

As the duo walked down the hill they prepared themselves mentally for the battle that lay ahead. A battle in the metaphorical way, of course. A game was a battle of wits, and not a battle for blood. But would everyone be mindful of that difference?

* * *

 _Damn it! They are on my tail!_

Taunt shifted to his right in order to dodge Ducky's latest strike. Despite his arrogant responses, he actually was growing concerned about the victory streak of the females. It made him worry that perhaps he was no longer performing up to his old standards, which itself brought back memories from his childhood as a sickly youth. He resolved to himself that he would no longer be that helpless again, and that drove him on in this game.

"You can't run for long, Stripe-Ass!"

Taunt gritted his teeth at Cera's taunt. "Watch me, dear!"

Knowing that they expected him to slow down as he went down the slope to the goal, he decided to surprise their expectations. He hunkered his legs down and rolled on his side. He planned on sliding down the hill.

"Whoa!"

Taunt smiled as he heard the females nearly lose their footing. _Gotcha!_ However, he knew that this only bought him some time, which was why he did what he did next.

"Catch, Dodger!"

* * *

 _Why me?_ Dodger wondered as he caught the head and took off running. Not that comfortable with carrying the head and still trying to get used to the game he scanned the area for someone to pass the head to. _Guys, I need help! And where's Violet?_ Violet was fast, which meant she could appear with very little warning.

"Over here, Dodger! Goal open!"

In response to Petrie's words Dodger readjusted his course and headed towards the goal.

Not that far away Violet heard the same words and decided to prove Petrie wrong. She sprinted towards the undefended goal.

"Quick, Dodger!" A male voice suddenly appeared in the distance, "Over here! She is almost on you!"

Spotting Finder, Dodger lobbed the head as best he could in the other fastbiter's direction. While not very graceful it got the head where he wanted it to go.

Seeing the flying head Violet readjusted to head directly to Finder, skirting very close to a tall bush.

 **Wham!**

Dodger didn't know what happened. One moment he was running the next he'd been stopped cold. Dizzy, he hurried to his feet, automatically looking for threats. Spotting Violet within reach, he helped her to her feet.

 _Ow! What hit me?_ Violet wondered. Seeing Dodger, she got her answer. _Oh, right._

"Steady?" Dodger asked. He quickly looked her over for injuries.

"Steady," Violet confirmed. She copied her brother's injury search.

"Ready?" Violet just nodded.

"Goal!" Petrie shouted with excitement as Spike let out a victorious roar. The males had scored the first goal of the game. However, this moment of triumph was not echoed in Taunt's reaction.

"Are you two alright?!"

Ducky echoed Taunt's sentiments, "That was a bad hit!"

"Should we get out the healing plants?" Cera mouthed to Taunt, barely audible.

Dodger and Violet circled each other, checking to see if there was something they missed.

"Dodger, I'm fine. There weren't even claws involved," Violet protested.

"I know it wasn't a really bad hit, Violet, but everyone else is worried," Dodger replied, "You're sure you're okay?"

"I'm not even dizzy anymore," Violet said, sounding exasperated.

"Okay," Dodger said. He turned towards the others. "We're alright," he said loud enough for everyone to hear.

Cera and Taunt shared a glance as the others arrived at the goal. The expressions from the others communicated that they were equally concerned about the hit. They could put on vine armor to shield against claws and teeth, but collisions were another matter. Finally, however, Littlefoot merely shook his head in exasperation and kicked the head towards Violet.

"Alright, Violet, it is the girls' head. You get until 'five ground fuzzies' until us guys come after you." He then looked at his fellow males. "Everyone, get to your sides. The girls are going to start their assault soon!"

Once again, the game was on. Before the guys left, however, Violet could have sworn that she heard Taunt say,

"Watch out for the violet one, she is crazy! No offense, Dodger…"

* * *

"Okay, girls, what is the plan?"

Cera promptly went into leader mode, as she was the top-ranked member on the team. As she was the next in command, Ruby spoke next.

"A diversion? Maybe two of us could go one way, while the head goes another?"

Breeze nodded. "What if we did that, but one of us actually hid the head? And then backtracked… They would never suspect that."

Ducky shrugged. "My brother's sniffer would make that hard. That plan wouldn't work for long."

Cera growled in exasperation. They were fast running out of time before Chomper would begin his countdown. "Any ideas, Violet?"

"How far to the sides can we go?"

Cera pointed some distance away. "We can't cross the bushes on that side… or the scent markings on that side. Or as my mate so elegantly puts it, we have to stay between the sweet bubbles and the shit, or we will be in deeper shit."

Violet rolled her eyes at Taunt's idea of an explanation. "What would happen if a team crossed the boundary?

"Then the other team would get the head closer to the goal… why do you ask?"

"If we have whoever is carrying the head run along the boundary, a quick dodge should force anyone trying to stop us to cross the boundary, letting us get closer without risking losing the head."

Ruby pondered this for a moment. "That would be dirty, but a dirty win is still a win!"

Cera grinned. "Alright… this is what I think we should do…"

* * *

Spike shook with nervous anticipation as the first of the female's appeared through the bushes. It was during this game and hunts that the 'new' Spike was most on display as opposed to the 'old' Spike. Gone was the calm, nonchalant dinosaur and in its place was an excited bundle of feathers and muscle.

 _There's Haven…_ he immediately considered the possibility that they had sent out the dinosaur who would have known him the best… well… besides his own mate. That was when his mind realized something else: Ducky did not have the head.

"Diversion?"

Spike did not look at Taunt as his voice echoed from his side. He merely nodded his head.

"Alright! Finder and Taunt, use the threehorn strategy! Let's show these girls what we are made of!"

Spike smiled. _This is going to be so much fun…_

* * *

 _Well… here goes nothing._

With a slight nod of her head, Violet indicated her readiness. Now it was time to see if this crazy strategy of theirs would work or not. If they succeeded then they could get an easy goal… but if they miscalculated then they would give the males possession of the head very early in the second round. It was truly a gamble.

She didn't have long to consider that, however, as Cera let out a mighty roar and ran towards the other side of the clearing with a large tough-sweet in her mouth. The nearly inedible fruits which conveniently looked very much like a round head when seen from a distance. As soon as she went out of sight, Violet knew that it would be her turn to charge into the males' territory.

 _I guess it's my turn_. Violet initially moved slowly, trying to check for surprises while she still had some cover. A quick glance told her that no one was looking in her direction. _Time to go._

Violet took off, staying as close to the scent boundary as she dared. It wasn't too long before she was beyond what she could say was clear of surprises, but there really wasn't anything she could do about it except keep going.

"Ha! Got ya!"

Violet glanced back to see Cera get tackled. _Oh, so that's how you do it._

* * *

Dodger, having rushed up to support Taunt, grimaced. _No wonder they thought my collision was rough._ It had hurt quite a bit more than he would admit, but he was used to pain.

Cera reacted to Taunt's slow recovery back to his feet with a subdued smile. The longer the delay, the more time that Violet had to get near the goal. With that in mind she decided to do something that was more reminiscent of Taunt than her.

"Hmmm… I thought that we agreed not to do that where others could see, dear."

Dodger nearly let go of Taunt as he tried and failed to control his laughter.

Taunt rose to his feet and shook his head with amusement. "I pounced on you for the head, dear… though it is good to know that you are in the mood…"

"Oh for the love of sanity! Just grab the head so we can beat the girls!" Spike's voice echoed from a distance, "She only stays down until Path gives the signal!"

Taunt nodded at Spike's reminder and turned to his mate. "Well, we can talk about that later.. right now we… what the…"

That was when he saw the tough-sweet. Cera's laughter only confirmed what had happened.

"Diversion!" Taunt roared into the sky, "Seeker, they are heading for the goal!"

* * *

 _Well, it was nice while it lasted,_ Violet thought. She pushed herself to her limit, hoping to outrun any oncoming pursuers.

"There she is!"

 _Must go faster. Must go faster._ _It's not much further._ Violet didn't dare look behind her.

The sound of trampling footsteps arose in the distance. It was only then that she noticed the large form of Path some distance to her side. She didn't bother to fixate on that, however, as the form of Seeker began to approach her from the front. He was preparing for one last defense of the goal.

She did not notice Path's fixation on the boundary.

Violet shifted to the side, moving towards the boundary. She barely stayed within the playing area. _Hope this works…_

The brown fastbiter copied her movement as he appeared to fixate on the head in her mouth. He was matching her step for step. It was obvious that he was appearing to pounce.

Violet decided to try something involving a bit more precision. _This is either my best idea or the worst._ The moment Littlefoot leapt Violet let herself collapse, going from upright to sprawled almost instantly.

 _Ow. Ow, ow, ow. Bad idea. Very bad idea. Everything hurts._ Assuming she lived through it Violet swore she'd never try that again. She was afraid to move lest she make something hurt worse, like the headache she could feel coming on; her head had hit the ground pretty hard.

 **Crash!** "Shit!"

"Seeker! Are you alright!?"

Taunt suddenly appeared on the scene, seemingly out of nowhere. Within moments he was leaning over his leader with a concerned expression. Making an up and down gesture with his arms, he indicated to the others that there was an injury.

Violet got up slowly, almost every part of her body protesting. _I'm dead. I'm dead. What was I thinking?_ She had no clue what Taunt's gesture meant, but she had a pretty good idea of what causing an injury to a pack leader meant.

"Injury! Get Ponder!" Cera's voice called from a distance.

"Coming!" Ruby's reply came a second later, "Oh, Seeker!" Came her response moments later when she saw Seeker's prone form. Now there were several footsteps heading in their direction.

"Urgh.. I'm alright, just a bloodied snout…" came Seeker's groggy reply, "She tricked me quite well…"

Violet just stared, her mind panicked. She subconsciously moved into the lowest pack-member posture. Her eyes conveyed something that was less 'I'm sorry' and more 'please don't kill me'. _Dodger, help!_

As if in slow motion, Taunt advanced towards her as Ponder took his place at Seeker's side. His face conveyed an odd emotion that Violet's panic-stricken form could not decipher at that moment. She merely shook nervously while the male sniffed her slowly.

"...And are you alright, Violet?"

Violet didn't quite comprehend what she heard. Still panicked, she took a step back. _What do I do?_ Her shaking got worse.

"Violet?"

Violet turned to look behind her. Seeing her brother, she felt slightly better, but was still quite fearful. "Help," Violet pleaded softly.

Seeing Littlefoot beyond Violet Dodger put together a rough picture of what happened. _Oh. Oh, not good._ "Violet, eyes on me." He needed her focused on him, not what was scaring her. "It was an accident. Everything's going to be alright." To reassure her Dodger deliberately put himself between Violet and Littlefoot.

"I'm fine, dear… I'm fine… It is just a bloody snout," Littlefoot's voice spoke from behind Dodger, "I think you should check up on Violet, though. How is she holding up?"

It took Dodger a moment to figure out that he was being addressed.

"Sir?" Dodger asked. He wasn't quite sure what Littlefoot had said.

"How is she doing? She had a pretty hard knock as well."

Dodger cringed. _How exactly do I explain that she is currently fearing for her life and that I have no way of convincing her not to without your help?_

"I think she is afraid, Seeker."

Littlefoot turned towards Taunt with a curious expression. Gone was the usual jocular tone from the orange fastbiter. Now he sounded outright concerned.

"Afraid? Of what?"

Taunt took a breath and whispered in his direction in a rather angry tone, "I think that Prowler was a bigger ass than we realized."

This finally gave Littlefoot pause as he placed another healing leaf in his remaining nostril. Taunt could be many things: insensitive, infuriating, and astonishingly humorous. However, the same empathy that allowed him to successfully annoy just about anyone also allowed him to see what others often overlooked. Now was one of those times.

Littlefoot gave a sad smile. "Arise, Violet. I am not mad at you."

Violet really couldn't think of anything to say. That was the last thing she was expecting to hear.

"Can I examine her?" Ponder asked Dodger, having realized what he was doing, "I am the pack healer most of the time."

Dodger turned back towards Violet. He wasn't letting anyone near Violet if she didn't want it.

Violet nodded towards her brother, who stepped back to give Ruby passage.

"It looks like you hit the ground hard… did Seeker tackle you?"

"No," Violet answered softly, "I fell on my own."

Ruby nodded at this. "You certainly play hard. But you did succeed in making Seeker go out of bounds…" She seemed to hum to herself. "You look okay. Do you feel alright?"

"Well, nothing's broken, so I guess I'm alright."

Ruby rolled her eyes at that response. A broken bone would have been a death sentence until they learned how to treat them from the rainbowfaces. Violet had shifted from being petrified to faking bravado. Much like a certain mate of hers…

"I went out of bounds?"

Ruby smiled as she turned towards Littlefoot's confused face. "You can talk to Path if you are not sure. But you went out of bounds because Violet forced you out."

Cera finally made her voice heard, "Now we get the head from here! Good luck, boys!"

"Really clever, Violet," Dodger told his sister, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," Violet said while trying to hide her wincing. _That really_ hurt _._

Path finally advanced on the scene, with his thunderous footsteps foretelling of his arrival. "Seeker and Violet are out for the round to recover. Everyone else, get back to your places. A penalty round is about to start." He then looked towards the males. "Who do you claim as your defender?"

Taunt sighed. "Me. I am the fastest of those that remain. Finder couldn't catch his own tail."

"Ass!" Spike shouted, but declined to disagree with Taunt's assessment.

"Slow ass!" Taunt shouted back, which made Path roll his eyes.

"And the girls?" Path inquired, "Who will be your head-holder?"

"Haven," Cera spoke without hesitation, "She will even the score."

"We will see about that!" Spike boasted.

"Indeed we will! Yep, yep, yep!"

"Alright, enough! You tail-chasers can resolve this during the penalty round. Get in your positions!" Path roared. He didn't have to speak twice. Everyone else began to move into position as Seeker and Violet proceeded to step out of the area of play. But not before Violet asked one final question of Dodger.

"Am I in trouble?"

"No, you are not," Seeker's voice came from nearby, "Though if we don't get out of the way before Path is ready then we might be. It is a rule during the game that he is the game leader and score keeper. And he takes that job very seriously."

Violet just nodded and headed for the boundary. _I've caused enough chaos for one day._

Dodger looked back as he headed back to his team. _Please be okay._ He hated seeing her that scared. It was almost never that easy to get her back to normal. _I don't need you hiding anything._

* * *

"Alright, everyone get set… begin!"

 _Okay, so it's Taunt versus Haven. Good luck, Taunt. You're going to need it._

"So this was your plan the entire time… I am just glad that I didn't land in the crap. That would have added insult to injury," Littlefoot muttered absentmindedly.

Violet looked in Littlefoot's direction, her face registering alarm. _I probably shouldn't mention that this was originally my idea._ Violet would be lying if she said she wasn't more than a little afraid of the pack leader.

"Because based upon your reaction I can tell it was your idea… it was certainly a good one."

"Sorry," Violet replied.

Littlefoot laughed, which caught the other fastbiter by surprise. "Don't be sorry. It was a good plan. It certainly has evened the odds… whoa!"

In front of the two fastbiters a roar erupted from the others as Taunt deflected a head toss from Ducky. Now the head was in play for everyone. The area of play instantly descended into chaos as every fastbiter entered into the field of play. Every fast biter besides Seeker and Violet, that is.

 _Well, that was all for nothing. I thought for sure we could score after all that._ "I thought we had it," Violet muttered, "Come on. We need to score."

Seeker leaned on his front claws, "Come on, guys… we need to win this time! It has been so long…"

A roar then erupted from the playing field as Spike and Ducky collided. The head then rolled in front of Ruby. Her hesitation in grabbing the head was obvious.

"Come on, dear, you can do it…"

"I thought you were on the other team," Violet commented, trying not to sound too nervous. Her headache was making it difficult for her to think through what she should say.

"She is… but she has struggled the last few games. I just… well… would like her to get her confidence back." Littlefoot hesitated for several moments as Ruby barely dodged a tackle from Spike, "When you get a mate then you will understand."

"Yeah, I'm usually the one that needs help," Violet said, "Dodger usually doesn't make mistakes."

Littlefoot snorted. "We all make mistakes. What is important is how we learn from them… Nice one, Ponder!"

Ruby dodged another attempted tackle from Taunt as she veered towards the goal. Now only Dodger was in her way.

Violet grinned when her brother succeeded in tackling Ruby and grinned a bit wider when Ducky got to the head before Dodger did. It only took a moment for Ducky to hurl the head into the hole.

Littlefoot smiled slightly despite the loss for his team. "Well… that should make Ponder feel better anyway… she got an assist. Haven couldn't have made the goal without her attempt."

Dodger shook his head at the result, smiling bemusedly; he'd have expected a similar move from Violet. _Maybe that's why the two are starting to get along…_

Littlefoot sighed. "Well.. it looks like our break is over so…"

"Oh no you don't!"

Littlefoot closed his eyes as Ruby appeared seemingly out of nowhere and glared at her mate. She was in full-on healer mode. "You two need to sit out for another round. You have only now stopped bleeding. You were still bleeding until now."

Littlefoot opened his mouth before thinking better of it. He knew when he was in a battle that he couldn't win. When he did speak it was to say something else entirely.

"That was nicely done, dear. Haven couldn't have made that goal without your attempt."

Ruby allowed herself a slight puffing out of the chest. "Thanks, dear. Now you sit back and enjoy the view as we girls win again!"

Littlefoot rolled his eyes as his mate ran back into the playing field. It was then that Violet finally spoke with some amusement.

"Sometimes you just can't win, huh?" _Reminds me of Dodger and Tracker when one of us gets hurt or I do something stupid. Tracker gets very good at copying Dodger when someone is injured, especially me._

"There are some things that trump rank… not that Path wouldn't have forced the matter anyway…" Littlefoot went back to his resting position. "He knows that he will be giving the orders one day…"

"I'd leave before then." Violet clamped her hands over her mouth. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._

Littlefoot laughed. "I am sure that things won't be too bad. Though I am not looking forward to being one of Path's lackeys. I guess we would be known as Path's food chasers then." He shook his head as another laugh left his mouth. "I suppose that is better than going hungry."

"Yeah, it probably is," Violet replied, suddenly sounding distant.

Littlefoot looked at Violet with his amusement quickly evaporating, "I am sorry. It is..." He sighed. "I lost my mother to his kind too."

"It's not that. I guess I've just gotten a bit too used to starving." _It's unlikely he's had that problem very often._ "I've never really thought of what I'd be willing to do to avoid it."

Littlefoot nodded. 'The hunger madness is a horrible thing… a horrible thing…" he trailed off with his tone conveying a reaction to a distant memory.

"I think my pack's gotten a bit too used to it," Violet said, "We've had to deal with it far too regularly. I remember one Cold Time that was honestly so bad I thought dying would have been better." _Why did I say that out loud?_ "Please don't tell Dodger I said that; he worries about me too much as it is."

Littlefoot gave her a sympathetic smile. "Wanting to kill others… or to be killed… that comes with the hunger madness. At least you never had to kill one of your friends…" He then averted his eyes and sighed. "But you already heard that story."

"Have you ever had to deal with getting in trouble regularly?" Violet asked hesitantly. She'd been trying to find a way to apologize to her brother for not listening to him before she learned things the hard way for a while now.

The sound of roars emanated from the game, but Littlefoot's focus was now firmly on the conversation. He had no idea how to reply to that except by being truthful. "Well… when me and my friends were leaf-eaters we got into trouble all of the time. It is a wonder we never got eaten."

"How could you...you went outside the valley, didn't you?" _I'd never be let out of my parents' sight if I'd left the nest and nearly got eaten. Which is why it only happened once._

"Several times…" Littlefoot confirmed, "We left to unblock the river… I left to find healing plants for my Grandfather… we left the herds in order to prevent them from breaking up… I left to pluck a tooth from a sharptooth's mouth in order to end the valley's bad luck…"

"You did what?" _That's crazy even for_ me, Violet thought.

"It… was not my best moment," Littlefoot confirmed, "The valley had a lot of bad luck and… it's a long story. When I was a longneck I looked up to Doc, who I thought was the Lone Dinosaur." He saw the lack of comprehension on her face. "Nevermind. I was just being a stupid kid. But even after I survived that… somehow… that didn't stop us. We left several more times."

"Dodger's been watching me in some way my whole life. I snuck out of the nest once, and he went after me. I got confined to the nest unless Dodger was with me. I guess that was _his_ punishment for trying to get me on his own. I don't think Dad intended for Dodger to replace him, though." Violet tried not to laugh, but the absurdity that made up much of her pack's humor made it hard not to. If they couldn't really do anything about a bad situation they might as well laugh at it. "If he's survived me I don't think my brother is going to have any trouble as a parent."

Littlefoot gave a light chuckle. "I tremble for when Ponder and I have children… we both fear that fate will pay us back for how often we challenged it. Though with teeth and claws hopefully they wouldn't be as helpless as we were as leaf-eaters… well and half-teeth in the case of Ponder," his smile turned into a slight frown, "If only my mother could see that… or my grandparents…"

"I miss Mom and my siblings," Violet said, "I've never quite felt like I lost my dad, though. If you've met Dodger you've met my dad. Just double his age, maybe a bit more, and you'd have him. My mom, though, was a bit like me, just not the same color."

Littlefoot nodded. "I had my grandparents so I still felt like there was a bit of my mother that remained, but still… I often talked to her, you know? Talked to the night sky which is where our ancestors watch us."

Another roar erupted from the game where Taunt had made a successful goal. However both fastbiters were so lost in their conversation that they didn't notice that development.

"I've heard Dodger talking to Dad more than once, usually right after I'd done something very ill-advised. He actually helped Tracker say goodbye to her old pack when she first joined. I didn't know about that for a very long time." _Even when he barely knew her Dodger was a better friend than I was. Why didn't I ever listen until things got really bad?_ Violet wondered.

"Have you tried talking to your parents?" Littlefoot inquired.

"Once. I told Ponder Dodger and Tracker's half of the story. She didn't find it funny for some reason. Long story short Prowler and I got separated from them, and I didn't take it well. I ended up asking for help, or at least trying to. It ended up being a very long apology for how I'd behaved before then. That was the last time I completely ignored something Dodger told me to do until, what was it, yesterday?" _Why didn't I listen to his advice as carefully?_

Littlefoot nodded. "Well… if you are ever confused then I would recommend talking to those who have parted. Even if you are like Stern Claw and think you are just talking to yourself, sometimes yourself has some things to say that you need to hear." He began to preen his feathers. "I believe that my mom and grandparents are still there though."

"I'm just afraid mine are ashamed of me," Violet said before she could stop herself. "If we hadn't run into you guys I'd probably still be a child when I'm old enough to start a family."

"Prowler never really gave you a chance, Violet. Part of becoming an adult is learning how to try and try again even after repeated failure. I mean… we all could tell you some stories from when Path's parents were training us…"

"If that's true for everyone, how do you and Dodger manage to lead, if you don't mind my asking? Dodger got me out of a few really bad situations without even seeming like he was afraid. This might sound stupid, but sometimes I forget there are situations he might not be able to get me out of."

Another chorus of shouts and roars came from the playing field, but neither of them gave it any heed.

"It is amazing how much we don't notice the fear of those who protect us. I used to think of my grandparents as invincible, but that was only because they often hid their fears from me. It took me a long time to realize that they were not perfect protectors, but rather were just like me." Littlefoot's face took on an odd expression. "That realization was both liberating and horrifying."

"Perfect or not, I still don't get how Dodger does it. You know that trick I pulled? I got that idea from what I did shortly after Tracker and I became friends. I intentionally used my status as a child and Dodger's role as guardian to try and verbally attack Prowler without being attacked back. It didn't work so well."

Violet gestured to a small bite mark on her neck. "Dodger kept it from being worse. I feel horrible about how I acted, but I guess it never occurred to me that my brother has a limit. You guys nearly made me learn his limit in the hardest way possible." That was the closest Violet was ever going to get at as far as accusations or other ill-will was concerned. She'd said it; there was nothing more for her to do with it, especially since she was starting to consider Ducky her friend.

"Life is a harsh teacher. The important thing is that we learn from it before we become victims of its lessons." Littlefoot carefully gestured as if he were going to place a hand on her shoulder before thinking better of it. "You are still learning, but don't be too fearful of the lessons to come. You have a trusted pack at your side and ancestors to watch over you, so you have more than many have in this world."

"Hey, guys? You feeling better?"

Littlefoot turned towards Cera's yellowish form. He had almost forgotten about the game.

"I have been feeling better for a while," Littlefoot confirmed.

"Sorry," Violet apologized for a second time. She really didn't want Littlefoot mad at her and wasn't entirely sure she was in the clear. It paid to be careful.

Littlefoot finally got over his reluctance to touch her shoulder. "It's not a problem! Accidents happen."

Cera coughed awkwardly. "Well… we are tied at two points each."

Littlefoot considered Cera's words with some trepidation. _Tied with the game on the line… things could get messy here._ He knew very well how competitive Cera and Taunt both were, but the addition of the newcomers into the mix further intensified the situation. How would they react under such expectations?

 _Tied? Oh, no._ Violet normally would be glad to have something she could win, but she was worried about what would happen if she messed up. She remembered quite well that Cera was at best less than impressed with her kill count. Violet really didn't want to hear what she would say if she cost her team the game.

"Well…" Littlefoot forced a smile on his face. "It looks like it comes down to this… good luck, girls, you will all need it!"

Cera grunted. "We shall see, Seeker. But I think that you will be humbled yet again… face it, girls rule and males drool!"

Taunt finally made his presence known. "So says the girl who just splattered the pack leader with her own saliva!"

Littlefoot snorted as he lightly rubbed Cera's saliva off of his snout. She had no idea that she was salivating at the thought of winning until Taunt alerted her to her faux pas.

 _Did I hit my head harder than I thought or something? Is there_ anything _that can get these guys mad at each other?_ Violet cringed at that last thought. _Best I not find out. Right now weird is good._

"I… um…" Cera stammered, suddenly unsure of herself.

Littlefoot took this opportunity to further fluster the former threehorn. _Now it is time for Taunt to work his magic…_

"Oh, Taunt? Care to avenge your leader?"

"This is not going to end well," Dodger whispered to his sister, having just arrived at the sidelines. Violet looked at him in alarm. "Not that kind of bad," he hastily amended.

As if on cue Taunt ran up to his mate and viscously licked her face, utterly covering her in thick saliva. Then, with what good sense he contained, he fled from the scene to the supposed safety of his team's side of the field.

"You… despicable… piece… of…"

Littlefoot did not let Cera finish as he gave Violet a cheeky smile. "Well that is our cue to leave. Good luck, ladies!" He took off sprinting and the rest of the males followed suit. Within moments only the hysterical laughter of Chomper and Petrie could be heard. Both of them being safe from Cera's wrath.

"So, I guess you want us to kick their tails, then?" Violet asked, hesitating a bit. _Please don't lash out at me. Probably shouldn't have said anything… Maybe Tracker has the right idea about not speaking too often._

"You're damn right!" Cera huffed, "Let's show them feathered-assed scum-suckers what we girls are made of!"

 _If I screw up, I'm running and hiding behind Dodger. I don't care who laughs at me as long as I don't add to my scar collection,_ Violet thought before she followed Cera to the rest of their team.

* * *

"Well, we got her flustered so that means she will be rash this time… you know how she is when she is mad," Littlefoot noted to the others.

Taunt snorted. "You should try sharing a nest with her… you know, guys, could I like… use one of your sleeping spots tonight? I…"

Spike rolled his eyes and did not take the bait. "You knew what you were getting into when you mated with her, Taunt. Besides, I thought you always said that you preferred when she was angry… something about her being more loving when she was hateful…"

Littlefoot suppressed a groan though he couldn't stop a smile from appearing on his face. "All due respects, Taunt, I do not need to know about you and Stern Claw's love life… and… yes… you are on your own with this."

In contrast to everyone else Dodger was looking more than a bit worried. _If something happens to Violet…_ He tried not to seem like he lacked confidence in her, but Dodger always planned for the worst result. Good results didn't usually require contingencies. _She's been stuck around enough people with short tempers._

"We need to formulate a plan now though. Stern Claw will not be waiting for a well thought-out plan at this point. She simply wants to win and rub it in all of our faces." He paused for a moment to glance at Dodger. "Is everything alright, Dodger?"

Dodger did his best to seem impassive. He really didn't want to admit he was preparing for how to handle a Prowler-like incident in front of the instigator's mate and pack leader. "Everything's fine," he said as neutrally as possible. _If they don't see through this I'm actually going to be worried about them. Even Violet could tell I'm lying._

Littlefoot smiled a bit wider. "Don't worry, Dodger. This is a regular thing between her and Taunt… I think it is how they say they love one another." He then paused for a moment. "...that being said Stern Claw will be going all out this time, and we need to be prepared."

"The old bait and ambush?" Taunt offered without commenting on Littlefoot's allusion to his and Cera's little romantic games, "She wants to kick both of our asses, so Dodger and Finder could go after the head while she is distracted."

Spike rolled his eyes but said nothing. He gave a nod indicating his silent acceptance of Taunt's proposal.

Littlefoot nodded. "Sounds good to me. You ready to guard the mid-field, Dodger?"

"Yes, sir," Dodger replied, "Um, how exactly would Stern Claw react to losing?" _Translation: how quickly do I have to move to protect my sister?_

Littlefoot misinterpreted his question as a joke. "She hasn't lost in so long I think I have forgotten. I suppose we'll find out if we are successful." He then ran off to his place without a word, leaving Dodger to his own thoughts.

 _Okay, so what are_ you _going to do if I have to kill her?_ No one was touching his sister again. No one.

* * *

 _Okay, so what happened to the plan?_ Violet thought, _I've been in longer planning sessions with Prowler. Okay, so I didn't actually contribute, or listen, to them, but they were sometimes longer._

Breeze looked alongside Violet as they both ran to what they assumed their positions were, "Do you have any idea what in the name of sanity we are doing?"

"I was hoping you knew," Violet answered unassuredly. _This_ is _my first game of Capture the Head after all._

Breeze laughed as she picked up speed. "Well, I don't really know, but here are some words of advice. When Stern Claw gets into this mood she usually uses the 'attack on all fronts' strategy." She shrugged as she continued to be vigilant for males. "We all are running to the goal as a group with no defenders. We will either win or lose here."

 _I'm not liking the sound of this._ Violet wondered if it was too late to leave the game and hide somewhere.

"There she is! Hey, Stern Claw, did you come back for more?!"

 _Okay, Taunt is officially insane,_ Violet thought, _Oh, there's Dodger_. Violet noted his location in case things got dangerous but otherwise didn't consider it in relation to the game.

It was then that a loud roar could be heard. It was Cera.

"You're about to get all you can handle, boys!" Cera yelled with great ferocity as she ran at full sprint down the field. It was only now that Violet could see Ducky at the other edge. It was indeed an all-in attack. They would either make a goal here or leave themselves open for the males to make a goal. There was no margin for error.

* * *

Littlefoot held his posture as he counted down the time until Cera arrived.

 _Ten… nine… eight… seven..._

Her eyes were like fire as she ran full speed down the grass-covered field. The heaving of her chest was unmistakable as dirt leapt behind her in her mad dash. Her entire focus was on the goal. Just what he wanted.

 _six… five… four…_

He crouched down as he prepared for what was about to come. He had to time this correctly or else risk injury to them both.

 _three…_

He leaned back on his back legs.

 _two…_

He held his breath as his muscles burned with anticipation.

 _one…_

He leapt.

* * *

Breeze held her breath as Littlefoot suddenly appeared like an apparition from the tree itself. Within an instant both he and Cera were tumbling end over end as the head flew from Cera's mouth. It was only in a somewhat dazed state that she realized it was heading straight for her mouth. She grabbed it in the air without a thought.

 _Oh crap!_

Terror struck her as both Dodger and Taunt appeared from the front. How was she supposed to get away from this gauntlet?

"Over here, Breeze!"

She looked to her side as Ruby waved her hands with excitement. However, she could see Spike stalking in the distance. Any pass to Ruby would be intercepted. That was when she saw a flash of orange.

Taunt…

He was now rapidly gaining on her as Dodger kept his position close by. She was fast running out of options. Except one.

As Taunt's body rose into the air she hurled the head towards the only open fastbiter.

* * *

 _It had to be me, didn't it?_ Violet thought as she ran as fast as she could towards the goal, the head secure in her mouth, _Blegh… this does not taste good._

She looked to her left and right but saw no one. Maybe she'd get through. _If it seems too good to be true it probably is_ , Dodger's voice echoed in her head in warning.

Violet made the mistake of actually stopping to get her bearings. _Maybe I wasn't as okay as I thought…_ Whipping her head from left to right and back had left her quite dizzy.

Dodger almost wanted to apologize when he caught up with her.

Violet felt a nip on her tail and dropped the head in surprise.

"Sorry," Dodger whispered before picking up the head and running in the opposite direction.

* * *

"Oh no! We have to protect the goal! We do, we do!"

Ducky wasted no time in moving to a full-blown sprint towards her team's goal. Cera's plan had failed and they were now open to attack, but she had the 'advantage' of being slower than the others, which meant that she was a bit closer to her goal than Dodger was.

The race was on.

* * *

 _Well, this is one way to become a target,_ Dodger thought, _I'm going to have to find some way to make it up to Violet after this._ A quick glance behind him revealed that Ducky was gaining on him. _Here goes nothing._

* * *

Ducky continued to gain on Dodger, much to her surprise. She was beginning to gain confidence despite the terrible situation that had befallen her team.

 _We might win yet! Yep, yep, yep!_

She didn't dare look behind her, lest she lose her momentum, but she could deduce that Ruby was behind her. This would allow them to take the head even if the tackle incapacitated her. Now it was just up to her to make her move.

 _Pack leader or not… Haven is coming for you!_

She quickened her pace as she advanced on his tail. It would only be a few more moments and…

 _What!?_

In an instant the fastbiter appeared to change course utterly. Now in the resulting struggle to correct her direction she rolled onto her side. All of her forward momentum was gone!

 _What… what just happened?_

* * *

When she finally felt like she'd gotten over her dizzy spell, Violet started to wonder if that was actually a good thing. _Other team scored; we lost. I'm dead._ She started glancing around nervously, afraid Cera would appear at any moment.

"Damn it… I guess you boys finally pulled your tails out of your mouths and won a game."

Taunt gave a cheeky smile as he helped Littlefoot off of the ground. For his part, Littlefoot smiled though he still groaned from his impact.

"Is that your way of congratulating us, Stern Claw?" Spike quickly offered before Taunt could speak, though the two exchanged a victorious nudge of the sides, "How are you two holding up? That was a big impact!"

Littlefoot shrugged. "I'm fine. Just a bit shook up. Stern Claw?"

Cera snorted. "I am perfectly fine! We will get even next time, boys! You just got lucky this time!" Then, with her tail arched up in an arrogant strut, she walked back towards the girls' side of the field, her face turned away from the boys' celebration.

"And how are you, Violet?"

"I'm okay," she said despite still feeling a bit off when she walked. _There's no way I can run like this,_ Violet thought, her mind started to once again drift towards panic.

She then saw a flash of orange and brown as Taunt, Littlefoot, and Cera both arrived on the scene. Thoughts of the victory suddenly put on hold.

"I think you need to lie down, Violet," Cera offered bluntly, "We should go get Ponder." Without another word she began to gesture at the pink fastbiter in the distance.

Violet didn't need to be told twice. If Cera were paying attention she'd have noticed that Violet had started shaking a bit. _I'm almost as helpless as Tracker right now. If she blames me…_ Violet was sure she'd be getting a painful reminder that incompetence was not tolerated.

It did not take long for Ruby to appear on the scene. She immediately leaned down and looked into Violet's eyes.

"Okay, Violet. I want you to turn towards the Bright Circle for me…" Ruby commanded in a soft voice, with more than a little concern showing through, "...but keep your eyes open so that I can see them."

Violet did as she was told despite not understanding why she was being asked to do it. If she did as she was told maybe she wouldn't end up hurt.

"Hmmm..." Ruby hummed with concern, "Now close your eyes for me and don't open them until I say."

Violet hesitated a bit before closing them. "Okay," she said, her voice sounding shaky.

The pause lasted for several seconds as some murmuring could be heard in the background. Even the thundering footsteps of Chomper could be heard getting closer as everyone seemed to be converging upon the scene, but yet Ruby did not give the order to open her eyes.

When Dodger finally got to the group he nearly lost his mind for a moment. _Violet!_ For once he was thankful to have had Prowler as a pack leader. He got himself back under control almost as quickly as he panicked. "What happened?" Dodger asked Littlefoot, unable to keep the edge out of his voice.

"Head injury," Ruby answered without looking away, "We are seeing how bad right now… Violet can you open your eyes for me?"

 _Head injury? Oh, crap._ V iolet opened her eyes as instructed. She couldn't see anyone other than Ruby, who was taking up most of her field of view.

Ruby sighed as she saw the pupils remain dilated for several more seconds than was normal. It was one of the signs that the rainbowfaces had told her to look for in the valley. It seemed that the last tackle had made Violet's head injury worse.

"How is it, Ponder?" Littlefoot asked in a stern, concerned voice. As he did this all of the other fastbiters in the pack got down on one knee in a watchful posture that Dodger had never seen before. Even Chomper imitated the gesture in the best way that his body would allow.

Dodger was a bit confused as to what the other pack was doing, but as far as he could tell there wasn't any threat that he could deal with. He forced himself to relax and sit down. He briefly considered imitating the other pack, but the tactical part of his mind rebelled at the thought of doing anything that was even slightly awkward, and thus potentially limiting to his ability to respond, while his sister was helpless. _I hate injuries. I can't do anything about them._

"I forgot what the rainbowfaces called it… but she has the shaken head sickness. I don't know how bad yet. Is Haven here?"

She didn't have to ask twice. "I'm here, Ponder! What do you need?"

Ruby examined the eyes for a few more seconds as she considered the situation. Ducky had obtained some training as well when they were all caring for Taunt's broken leg after the battle. As a result, she had no doubt in her friend's abilities.

"She will need some pain-away plants, but not the bitter ones… remember the rainbowfaces said that can make it worse."

Ducky nodded. "I remember. Anything else?"

Ruby shook her head, as her friend sprinted in the direction of the forest. Within moments Spike and Taunt followed as well. The urgency did nothing to improve Dodger's concerns.

"Okay, Violet. I know that this is going to sound odd… but can you sing a song for me?"

"What?" Violet asked.

Ruby nodded as if she had expected that response. "A song. Something with a lot of pitch changes and words. I have to see how well you can do those things."

"Does it matter that I'm a terrible singer?"

"You're not a bad singer, Violet. Stop comparing yourself to Tracker," Dodger immediately corrected his sister. Violet was actually a good singer. Unfortunately, her point of comparison was Tracker, who had a natural gift for singing. Dodger then whispered a suggestion for a song.

"You sure?" Violet asked. Dodger just nodded. Violet prepared herself for a moment then started to sing.

Ruby tried to push aside her feelings about the song as Violet began to sing. She remembered what the rainbowfaces had told her to be on the lookout for. Slurring and confusion were the signs of a bad head-shake, and possibly one that would be fatal. With that mindset she forced all attention on what she could hear. She could not afford to let Violet down.

The others, however, paid attention to Violet's words. The song was sung with such emotion as to force everyone into silence. It was a song that communicated loss at the same time that it showed the continuation of what had once been. It reminded them of some of their older songs in a way. A reminder of the parents that many of them had lost. And those which they could not see again in person, despite being very much alive.

Littlefoot bowed his head. _I hope that we don't have to sing this song about her soon. It was my hit that caused the injury in the first place… I should have been more careful… I should have watched where she was going…_

"That was very good, Violet. I think your shaken-head sickness is not very bad. It is only bad." Ruby stated but then tried to correct herself, "I mean… it will get better soon."

Violet stared at Ruby, having caught what was originally said. She knew very little of head injuries, other than that she'd had a few. There were a few days that for the life of her she couldn't remember. _Maybe this time I'll forget everything. Hm, that actually wouldn't be such a bad thing…_ "If you say so," Violet muttered in reply.

"She'll be okay?" Dodger asked Ruby. He caught Violet's disbelieving tone, but chose to ignore it. For now. _Should I tell them she's hit her head a few times before now and once couldn't remember several days?_

"I think so…" Ruby answered hesitantly, "...but this is odd."

Cera finally spoke up again with a hoarse voice, "Weird? In what way?"

Ruby sighed. "A little bump shouldn't be enough to cause this. Was her first hit today that bad? Did we make a mistake in letting her play again?"

"She's hit her head before," Dodger said reluctantly. He then looked over at his sister apologetically. _Sorry, but they need to know._ "A few times actually. One time…" Dodger cringed at the memory. "I was surprised she was still breathing, never mind that her skull wasn't shattered."

Ruby's face darkened as Cera gasped, "What happened?"

"A really bad day. Long story short, she was running along the cliffside, slipped at the turn, and fell. I didn't see anything else until I got to her. Her head hit a rock hard enough to crack it."

Ruby felt something tug at her stomach. She suddenly felt ill. "Violet… you need to stay awake, okay?"

 _Yep, I'm going to die,_ Violet thought. "That's what Dodger said last time." _I didn't listen. I could have sworn the Night Circle was only half full when I got that headache. Why was it full the next day?_

It was at that point that the sound of flapping wings could be heard.

"Tracker is impatient for news…" Petrie stated bluntly in an understatement for the ages, "What should me tell her?"

Ruby's mouth quivered for a moment. "She injured her head… but she is awake. We are treating her now."

Littlefoot added, "Tell her that she is in good hands."

A flutter of wings could be heard once more, then he was gone. Now all any of them could do was wait.

"How do threehorns keep ramming their heads together?" Violet complained, "This _hurts_."

Cera, despite herself, snorted. "I'm afraid my skull isn't what it once was. Threehorns are built for ramming. It is what we do… did." She sighed. "Though the crashing-head sickness could happen to us too."

Dodger idly wondered whether this would be a good time to admit, just from what he heard from the story, that he both deeply admired and was outright terrified by Cera's father. The word 'indestructable' came to mind.

Breeze spoke under her breath, "Where are those healing plants?"

"I see them!" Littlefoot announced, "They are rushing out of the forest now."

 _Please don't let this be like last time!_ Dodger thought. The day of Violet's last head injury had been the worst of his life. The aftermath wasn't much better. He wasn't sure if he could handle going through it again.

The trio of Taunt, Ducky, and Spike arrived with great haste as their healing leaves fell near Violet like a waterfall of green. Ruby quickly grabbed two of them and rubbed them in her hands.

"Okay, Violet, you need to eat some of this sap."

"This'll help?" Violet asked, not entirely convinced this would help at all.

Ruby nodded as Littlefoot and the other males began rubbing together the other leaves. "It should help the pain a little, but it will still hurt, a little." She then placed the sap in front of Violet's mouth and waited for her to accept the unappetizing mush.

Violet very reluctantly complied. _Yuck. This is disgusting._

As Violet reluctantly consumed the foul-tasting sap Littlefoot looked straight into Dodger's eyes. "I think that we should get Tracker. A pack defends its vulnerable." His unspoken words came through loud and clear. _We may not be able to defend them if they are split up._

"Violet, I'll be right back," Dodger said, turning to his sister.

"No getting hurt," Violet replied, trying to make a joke. Trying being the operative word.

"Ok." _I will_ NOT _say 'What could possibly happen?' I want to come back in one piece._ He turned to leave.

"I'm coming with you!" Ducky stated as she got up to join the two males. Without further word the trio sprinted off towards the hill where Tracker lay. Soon the two packmates would be together.

Leaving Dodger as the last healthy member of his pack.

* * *

 **So what would be a game with the pack without a bit of unexpected drama. d-; It seems that Mender has had a previous head injury and this has finally caught up with her. Time will only tell how Dodger reacts to being the last remaining healthy pack member.  
**

 **bryan mccloud** : Luckily for Violet Path is now too big for the game, though he is the umpire. d-; However, you were quite on the mark when you mentioned that she shouldn't take the game 100% seriously. Her pack still needs some time to adjust to not being in peril all of the time. Violet in particular needs some time to adjust. Fastbiters with a history of head injuries should certainly try to avoid them in the future...

 **DevoutRelic** : Thank you very much for the kind words and the review. (: I just hope that this and my future works can live up to expectations. With regards the the measurement of time in years, it was done a bit in the Seven Hunters, though not very often. Usually a more relative form of time measurement was used. I will keep this in mind as my co-author and I continue to re-work the roleplay into story form. Sometimes it can be difficult to get the flow and tone of the story just right, considering that this story was written in a different manner than most stories.

As for the Seven hunters universe, I do plan on this being the last story of the main Seven Hunters continuity, with any future works of mine either being in different LBT continuities (there are some other plot ideas that I think would be fascinating to explore), AU continuities of this story-idea (such as a what-if story if things in the Seven Hunters had gone differently, or perhaps someday if he is willing and has time, an Eight Hunter continuity story), or stories that could fit in both a canon or Seven Hunters continuity (like a prequel story about Ruby, which would technically fit either a canon story or the Seven Hunters).

Thank you again for the kind words. (: I am glad that you were helped during your time of need. And don't ever think that you are wasting my time by talking to me or leaving a long review. I am always glad to talk to my readers, and if you ever need to talk about anything, anything at all, feel free to contact me. I can be reached by PM on this site if you have a fanfiction account, and also by DeviantArt note (information for which can be found on my profile).

I look forward to hearing from you again. (:

 **JulianR94** : Thank you for the review. (: In this chapter we have moved away slightly from the endless explanations of the last chapter and into a more action-based chapter. Though the new guests are still getting accustomed to not being in constant danger of being harmed. Perhaps Seeker's pack should have waited a few more days before putting Violet in a competitive situation...

 **gordhanx** : Thank you for the detailed review. (: Yeah, I tried to begin with a bit more of a focus on the 'present' in order to elaborate on Mender's situation and the thoughts of the fastrunners. I always liked Pearl as a character, but she was not used as much in Songs of the Hunters due to the way the plot developed. I have always seen her as a very feminine and motherly character who could still hold her own against a harsh world. We will see a bit more of her in the future. (:

I am glad that you liked the chapter. I was a bit unsure how the conversation-focus was going to play out in terms of readability, as roleplays and stories often have different patterns of flow. But I am glad to hear that you liked the final result.

 **Thanks for the reviews, everyone (: I look forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions on the latest chapter.**


	8. Chapter 7: Revelations

**-v-**

 **Be advised that the following chapters touch upon some issues that I did not cover in detail in the Seven Hunters or Songs of the Hunters. However, in the context of a warlike pack based upon domination and violence, what I have described here (however unpleasant) is in keeping with actual human experience during wartime. Reader discretion is advised.  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Revelations**

 **Several hours later:**

 _Why did it have to happen to Violet?_ Tracker wondered. She was glad to hear that Violet had shown none of the problems Dodger had mentioned the last time Violet had a head injury. _I had my own ordeal to go through. At least Violet can't remember anything between her injury and the start of the next Night Circle Cycle. I'd have welcomed having that problem at the time._

Seeing Dodger in the distance, trying almost in vain to keep his two packmates in view, Tracker wished she could go over and talk to him. _He's blaming himself again. He always does that when something goes wrong._ She shook her head. There was nothing she could do about it, as much as she wished to, except maybe get someone to talk some sense into him. _How do I do that without making a scene? I can't even stand up properly on my own._

"How is the feeling in your legs?" Ducky's voice suddenly asked some distance away.

"Fine as long I don't try to stand. Weight hurts." _Why is Haven talking to_ me _?_ Ducky wasn't quite the last person Tracker had expected to speak to her since she'd seen her talking to Violet more than once, but it was still strange.

The green fastbiter sighed as she sat down some distance from Tracker. It was immediately noticeable to Tracker that it was just far enough not to be imposing, but close enough to invite conversation. The smell which radiated off of Ducky communicated a mix of regret and concern.

"The pain is actually good. It was like that when Seeker had his training accident. First it lacked feeling, then it hurt, then it hurt a lot, then it got better." She frowned. "We talked to the rainbowfaces about it and they said something about the 'nerves' still being alive, whatever that means…"

"Good to know. I can finally give Dodger some good news." Tracker glanced towards Dodger, checking to make sure he was still there. "Maybe someone should talk to him…" _He's not handling this well._

Ducky was silent for several moments, and Tracker thought that perhaps she had been ignored. But then Ducky spoke with a far-away tone, "I am sure Seeker will talk to him again… there are certain things that only a leader would know." She paused for a moment before looking at Tracker with an odd expression. "...just like there are certain things that only a packmate would know. What exactly happened to Violet before?"

"I thought Dodger told you what happened. I wasn't there to actually see what happened. I was otherwise occupied," Tracker said evasively. The conversation was starting to drift into an area she very much wanted to avoid.

Ducky was silent for several moments as more than a hint of irritation radiated from the fastbiter. It was a scent that Tracker had not smelled on Ducky before. Well… at least since the time that she had been injured by her.

"There are stories that are hard to tell, and things that are hard to do. One of the hardest is to lose a packmate. The less we know about what happened to her the greater the chance that she will be lost." Tracker thought she could hear Ducky grit her teeth. "Believe it or not, Tracker, I do not care to lose any more people in my life."

"There's honestly not much I can tell you about Violet's accident. I saw her the morning before the attack started and didn't see her again until maybe eight or nine days later." Tracker was actually starting to get a bit angry. _I do not want to talk about this. I didn't even tell_ Violet _exactly what happened. Made for some awkward conversations when I woke up screaming in the middle of the night._

"You smell afraid," Ducky stated flatly.

"Just drop it, Haven. This is _personal_ ," Tracker growled. _Back off!_

Ducky turned to face Tracker at that moment with an unreadable expression on her face. Tracker's expression held firm under her gaze, which made something click in Ducky's mind.

"Just promise me two things, Tracker. Whatever it is that you are not telling me… promise me that it is not something that threatens my pack or your packmates." she took a deep breath before taking on a more gentle expression, "...and talk to someone, anyone, about it. You are acting like Leap and his sister acted when they told us about Calin's pack. You are, you are."

"Wha… _how'd you know?_ " Tracker hissed. _Am I that obvious? Dodger kept telling me to talk about it, even to Violet if I didn't want to talk to him. I didn't want to scare her; she was just a kid. Still is, mostly._ Never mind that Violet was technically older, Tracker had taken almost an older sister role with her and tried to help Dodger look after her.

Ducky closed her eyes at Tracker's admission as she bowed her head slightly. "So it was Calin… I am so sorry." She then slowly walked beside Tracker and sat down a bit closer. Her scent now conveyed sadness and pity, a smell that Tracker despised.

"Violet and I talked a bit about… him…" she nearly spat, "I was telling her about how fastbiters talk without words, and he came up. Our pack has come across far too many of the survivors of his pack. Their stories were so terrible…"

"I'm still not sure what I should've done," Tracker said regretfully, "We were too spread out… Violet was actually the first to run into trouble. Ugh, someone should've been with her." _Oops. Please don't read too much into that._

"She… she never mentioned anything about that…" Ducky spoke with great concern as she rose before sitting again, as if confused about what to do, "She did not smell like she was hiding anything… maybe she did not remember? Maybe she tried to forget about it?"

Ducky was working herself into a frenzy. "Oh no... I told her about those horrible stories… what if she begins to remember all of that…"

"Haven!" Tracker snapped, hoping to get the other fastbiter back under control. _I'm really sticking my neck out here._ "Violet got out alright. Dodger made it to her in time, and made some of them pay for it." Tracker tried but failed to avoid sounding proud of her pack leader; this wasn't exactly the time for it.

Ducky finally sat down again as she tried to catch her breath. She had grown quite protective of Violet since Dodger's pack had collided with her pack. The thought of her having to be traumatized in Calin's pack upset her greatly.

"So all of you were able to escape."

Tracker shook her head sadly. "He was with me when it started. We split up when we heard Violet scream. As you probably noticed I'm not very fast. I thought I was good enough at hiding to get away so I told Dodger to go after her when he hesitated, like he wasn't sure what to do. I think he knew what would probably happen better than I did; it's part of why we try not to ever be alone." Tracker looked directly at Ducky. "Had I known what was to come I wouldn't have changed my decision, though I would've warned Dodger not to blame himself. I made the decision that time."

Ducky swallowed, and merely allowed her tail to touch Tracker's for support. Perhaps it was something about Ducky personally that made Tracker open up, or perhaps it was simply her desire to let the truth be known. But, for whatever reason, Tracker continued.

"I got cut off and, fool that I was, surrendered," Tracker replied, sounding ashamed as Ducky looked on in horror, "After that…" She shuddered and stopped speaking for a moment. She decided to deliberately skip over most of it. It was too unpleasant.

"Several days later I tried to escape. I'm certain the only reason it worked was because I tried something that should've killed me. Jumped off a cliff, slid, messed up my arm, and then got hopelessly lost. I got hungry, tired, sick. Dodger found me eventually."

"It isn't your fault," Ducky spoke with a small voice as Tracker began to ramble, "Whatever you had to do in that horrible pack… do not blame yourself."

Ducky placed a hand on Tracker's shoulder, ignoring an initial flinch. "You cannot let those feelings stay inside of you. You need to talk to someone, Dodger, Violet, me, anyone. If you let them stay in you then they will eat you alive." She bowed her head and closed her eyes. "It never fails… It hurts to think that we had to kill many of his packmates… most of them were just trying to stay alive."

"This probably sounds heartless, but I'm actually glad that Violet got hurt the way she did, well, at least since she got better. She doesn't remember what happened. She doesn't remember how bad off I was. She….she didn't have to deal with seeing her brother look so… lost. Violet's everything to Dodger." That last statement didn't bother Tracker in the least. If questioned she'd admit that she felt just as if not more lost after losing her whole pack.

Ducky frowned. "I wish Leap and Swift were here… they were some of Calin's victims as well. Perhaps… perhaps you would be more comfortable talking to someone who went through what you went through."

"Trust me, we didn't go through the same thing. I was nothing but a plaything for that pack!" Tracker spat bitterly. _I should've known I was in trouble right from the start._

Ducky jerked as soon as she heard Tracker's words. _Calin, that fucking bastard!_ Instantly she knew what Tracker had experienced. The experiences of many of the other survivors that they had met and spared in the years since the battle had confirmed the outright brutality of the pack. Ducky immediately embraced Tracker and lay her head upon her shoulder as a mother would do to an upset child.

"It is not your fault, Tracker. None of it. You understand me?"

"I know. Thanks for not mocking me." _You fought; I just gave up._

Ducky sputtered, "Wh.. what?! I would never do that! You are not something to be mocked. You are a person, Tracker. A beautiful, caring person. Regardless of whatever Calin and his dung-eating ringleaders may have said."

Tracker stared at Ducky for a moment, trying to get herself back under control. _I'm not going to cry, not where everyone can see me._ "Violet's still choosing her friends well, I see." _Violet's far too easy to deceive and far too trusting for me not to worry about her._

Ducky smiled slightly. "She is a good fastbiter, too. It's just that she needed to be taught how to be an effective one." Ducky thought for a moment. "I guess that the rest of you will have to be taught that too… but that is not what we are talking about right now."

Ducky sighed.

"Can you walk if I help hold you?"

"If it's not too much trouble for you... , Where do you want to go?"

Ducky looked at her with an intense expression. One that almost seemed to stare through her. "You do not want to cry in front of Dodger because it would make him feel worse, and you do not want to cry in front of Violet because it will scare her…. Cry with me then."

Tracker didn't say anything; she couldn't risk losing control. She just offered Ducky her hand. Words meant quite a bit to her; actions meant more.

* * *

 _Where are they going?_ Violet wondered as she watched Ducky and Tracker leave her field of vision. She didn't know what they'd said, but whatever they'd been talking about had run through quite a few emotions. _Tracker's usually not that openly emotional, at least not when I'm not the only one around._

It was at this point that Breeze came walking towards Violet's resting area. Though Violet was still finding it difficult to focus on anything in too much detail, she did notice that Breeze had a series of things impaled on a stick.

"How are you feeling, Violet?" Breeze began, "Have you noticed any changes to your vision or smell?"

 _Smell? Oh crap!_ "Um… n-no," Violet stammered. _I can't fake this. They're going to find out…_

Breeze frowned at her response. "Violet, while Ponder is helping Seeker scout the territory I am the healer assigned to you. I have had all of the training that she had from the rainbowfaces. So you can be honest with me, okay? If anything has changed then we need to know about it so that we can fix it." Her voices hinted that she was uncertain about the fixing part. "If there is something new then we need to know as soon as possible."

"Nothing's changed," Violet said more calmly. _I can't lose what I don't have._

Breeze seemed to accept this answer as she sat in front of her face. "How many claws do I have up?"

"Two," Violet replied. _It's not like I was staring at the Bright Circle._ "I can see just fine."

"And now?" She then held up one claw.

"One." Violet couldn't keep the frustration out of her voice. _Why would I lie when I told you I was fine?_

"I know that this may seem stupid, Violet, but sometimes if you have a head injury.. or have eaten bad sweet bubbles… you don't know that you are impaired." Breeze smiled at the scent of frustration, which was actually a bit of a good sign. "Are you ready for a few more stupid questions?"

"As long as they're not coming from Taunt." _Maybe that's not the best thing to say…_ "Um, I mean…"

"Ha! She can't be too messed up! She remembers me!" a familiar voice called from the nearby nest.

"If hitting your head could make people forget you, Taunt, then people would be bashing their heads against rocks all day!" Cera retorted.

"Ha! Can't get rid of me that easy!"

Breeze rolled her eyes at the antics of her friends. Taunt was an ass, but they wouldn't change him for the world. "Alright, well, you know who the pack members are so I can skip that question… What is the earliest memory that you remember?"

"In my whole life?" Violet asked, confused. _How could that help?_

"Yep, I asked Dodger about the stuff that you remember… I have to test your memory. Head injuries can make you forget things."

"I've noticed," Violet growled, a bit angry. _The last time I hit my head, according to Dodger, I forgot what my parents looked like, among other things._ Thanks to Dodger's descriptions she had an idea of what they looked like, but that would be like describing Dodger as blue. Quite a few details were gone, never to be regained.

Breeze noted the anger, but did not relent. "I'm sorry, Violet. But can you please try to remember? Dodger said that you forgot a lot the last time… but you did remember um… a few things." She stopped herself before she gave away details of Violet's memories. "Can you tell me what those were?"

"Well, I remember when I was really little I heard stories about the Grand Valley and how it had so many leaf-eaters. I wanted to see it for myself so when I was a bit older I tried to sneak away from my nest and into the valley. It didn't work. Dodger caught me and brought me back."

Breeze nodded. "He mentioned that would be one of the earliest clear memories. The earlier ones are fuzzy then?"

"Yeah. I remember bits, like a joke, a prank, or a fight, but nothing solid. I do remember feeling safe, though, much safer than I have in, well, I can't remember when." Violet couldn't help but laugh at her own poor word usage.

"Oh no, she is going into Ponder speak…"

 **Wack!**

"Shut up, Taunt!"

Breeze rolled her eyes. "You did well, Violet. I only have one more round of tests before you can get your new healing plants." She then carefully walked behind Violet and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Keep your head facing forward, Violet, I am going to test your ability to smell things from a distance."

Dodger, having only been paying a slight bit of attention to Violet's tests until now, was on full alert. Subtlety he shifted himself so that he was completely ready to charge. Target: Taunt. _One word and you'll regret it for the rest of your life._

Violet couldn't hide her own panic. _I'm dead. I'm dead. I'm dead. I'm dead._

Breeze was concentrating on getting her objects ready and missed the signs of panic from Violet. When she finally spoke she was several fastbiter lengths away from her and all of her other objects were put away. This would be a direct smell test at first. Simply trying to identify one object by smell alone.

"Okay, Violet, I am five lengths behind you. The wind is blowing towards you. Can you smell what I have in my possession?"

 _Should I guess? No, that'd just make look like an idiot._ Reluctantly Violet just remained silent and shook her head. _Not being an outcast was nice while it lasted._

An audible gasp came from Cera as Taunt took on a sad expression. His bowed head indicated his regret for his previous teasing. His thoughts now being obvious. _She has lost her sense of smell… that poor thing._

Breeze spoke after a pause, shock in her voice, "...okay… I will move closer. Speak when you can smell it."

"Don't bother," Violet said, "I can already tell you I can't make out anything past two lengths." Her voice carried as much despair as anger. "There's nothing new that's wrong."

Violet couldn't keep her voice from breaking. "I hatched like that."

Silence reigned for several moments as Breeze walked back to her original position beside Violet. Both Cera and Taunt spoke in hushed tones to one another as they contemplated Violet's condition. It was not a totally unheard of condition, but it was a significant one. A blinded sharptooth was a doomed one, but a smell-blind one was often seen as a liability by a pack.

"So you can smell me from here…" Breeze asked softly from very nearby.

"Kind of, but I have absolutely no clue what you're feeling. My sniffer could be touching you and I still wouldn't." _I wouldn't have any clue what I was smelling meant._ Violet kept her voice a bit more level. She felt a bit better when she saw her brother approaching. Between him and Tracker she had a pretty good set of cues to follow. Mostly she just listened to what was said and how it was said; she also watched how someone moved. Having only a few fastbiters to work with, she wasn't entirely sure how useful any of that was with fastbiters in general.

Breeze sighed and put her objects away. It was obvious that nothing more could be done here.

"But you can smell things that are close to you…" Taunt spoke suddenly, not being aware of Dodger's harsh glare, "You mentioned that you can't smell emotions… but does a person's scent ever smell a little bit different to you?"

Cera nodded. "Taunt has a point… if different fastbiters are near you do they smell different to you?"

"If I concentrate, yes. Otherwise it's like trying to figure out who is talking when everyone is shouting at once; it gets confusing pretty fast."

Taunt jumped up excitedly. "There's hope then!"

Cera smiled. "If a bunch of leaf-eaters could learn how to handle our sniffers then we can help you learn as well!"

"What do you think, Violet?" Dodger really didn't want to push his sister into trying Taunt and Cera's idea no matter how much he liked it. If he knew Violet she was still trying to get past the idea that no one had told her to get lost.

Violet stared at Cera and Taunt, dumbfounded. _Yep, still in shock,_ Dodger thought. "Violet," he prompted his sister again.

"W-what?" Violet asked, her question not really directly aimed at anyone in particular. She was surprised that no one had laughed at her. When one of the kids from her home pack had found out about her smell-blindness she'd been teased by him and his siblings mercilessly until her own siblings had had enough and beat her tormentors bloody. No one, not even Prowler on his worst day, bothered her about her smell-blindness after that.

"We can help you learn to identify those smells that you smell," Breeze offered, "You wouldn't be able to smell from a distance, but you could learn to experience what we do when we smell someone we care for."

Cera stepped forward. "It won't be easy… it wasn't for us… but it gets easier with practice."

Taunt smiled. "Are you willing to give it a chance?"

"Well, if I can finally figure out when you're joking and when you're insulting me I'll try anything," Violet said, almost reflexively trying to get a jab in at Taunt.

Remembering his teasing before he realized her disability, Taunt bowed his head in an apologetic gesture that Violent recognized from her and Ducky's discussion.

"Hey, I've heard worse," Violet said, trying to indicate there were no hard feelings.

Only now Taunt raised his head back to its usual confident level. He didn't mind pranking people to the point of rage, but harming those who were suffering was something that he would never knowingly do. He had far too many memories from when he was a weak child in a harsh, unforgiving world.

Cera smiled at the reactions from both dinosaurs. "Well then… perhaps we can start with Taunt?"

Taunt blinked. "What?"

Cera smiled. "Let's sit on either side of her and have her try to separate our two scents. Then we can show her how your scent changes when your mood changes."

Breeze snickered. "What if that doesn't change?"

Cera rolled her eyes. "Oh, trust me… I can change his mood. He can feel fear if I am in the proper mood for it."

"No one's going to get hurt, right?" Violet asked hesitantly, not out of fear of pain but just being unsure of where the conversation was headed.

Breeze chuckled lightly. "No one is going to get hurt, Violet. Stern Claw often sounds much more menacing than she actually is… that is something that you will learn when you are trained in how to smell emotions…"

As if on cue, Taunt and Cera stood in front of Violet. "Ready, Violet? I promise that I won't kill my mate. After all, I haven't killed him yet," Cera offered with a smile as Taunt rolled his eyes in response.

"Ready," Violet responded. _As ready as I'll ever be._

* * *

Never mind how many times Ducky comforted a victim of Calin's cruel legacy, she could never get rid of the bitter taste of bile in her throat. She was a kind soul, Taunt had even called her the nicest fastbiter he had known, but even she could not choke back the hatred for Calin whenever she was confronted with his damage. In her arms right now was a sobbing mess that had once been a young female such as herself. But now that her emotional mask had fallen the true depths of her anguish could not be hidden. Calin's pack had harmed her in ways that no child deserved. She only hoped that by sharing her experience that she could gain some semblance of closure.

The monster was dead, but his monstrous acts remained.

Tracker tried in vain to get herself at least slightly under control. "S-sorry I'm such a mess, Haven." Tracker said. _I wish we could've met sooner. Violet would've been in a panic if I broke down in front of her._

Ducky sighed, ignoring her own burning tears. Despite thankfully having never experienced the horrors that Tracker had, she couldn't help but feel her pain and humiliation. Cera had once told her that that was her greatest strength… and her greatest weakness. She could not ignore the suffering in front of her.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Tracker. Just remember that Calin and his pack are gone now. He cannot harm you anymore. We saw to that."

"But they didn't have a damn choice!" Ducky froze at the agitated response from the stricken fastbiter. Up until now she had not heard a single curse from the other pack. It just highlighted her extremely agitated state. "If they didn't do that… then he… he…"

Ducky closed her eyes and sighed sadly. "...then he would kill the 'weaklings'…"

Tracker nodded as she continued to sob, "The bastard laughed while they used me. He wanted his pack to be merciless…" she shivered, "...he told me that I would either live with them on top of me, or die with the ground on top of me… the weak had no place among the fighters."

Ducky remained silent as she continued to hug Tracker tightly. She knew that she had to get all of this out.

"Only Leap had any compassion… he… he apologized…" she sucked in a breath as Ducky shivered at the mention of Leap's name, "he whispered after he got done… it was the only mercy I received..."

Ducky swallowed despite her throat was dry, "Leap and his sister told us that they had to do terrible things in Calin's pack… he never said what those things were. I don't think he wanted to remember…"

Tracker shivered and remained silent for several moments. It was as if she were struggling to comprehend the turmoil in her own mind.

"Haven, I know it's a lot to ask, but, next time you see him… could you tell Leap I forgive him?" Tracker asked, unsure whether she had a right to request such a thing.

Ducky nodded slowly. "I am sure that he will be relieved, Tracker. Even though he did not have a choice, it is very forgiving of you. I… do not know if I could forgive if…"

"It's not easy, but I don't want to hold on to this for the rest of my life," Tracker said. _It took me a long time just to forgive myself for making a few costly mistakes. Staying angry hurts no one but myself._

Ducky took in a deep breath as she finally pulled away from Tracker. The sobbing had come to an end, though the emotions still remained.

"That is the spirit, Tracker. Just know that you are not alone. You have Dodger and you have us." She looked into her eyes. "Regardless of where you may go, you are not alone. Calin cannot defeat you if you refuse to let him."

"Does everyone have to know?" Tracker asked. _This could be_ really _embarrassing… Violet would find out for sure._

"I will not tell another soul, Tracker," Ducky affirmed, "None of this will harm the pack… this is your tale to tell, Tracker, no one else's." She sighed. "I will only talk to Leap as you requested."

"Thanks." Tracker breathed a sigh of relief.

Ducky finally wiped her eyes. "Well… do you feel better? We can go back to the others before they go looking for us."

"I'm okay," Tracker replied. _Not great, but I'm okay._ "I should be fine by the time we get back." _No sense letting Violet see how upset I was._

Ducky patted her counterpart on the back as they began to take the long walk back to the pack's meeting place. It was only when they had gotten closer to the forest's clearing that she noticed the silent sentinel that stood in the large tree in front of them. Ducky said nothing, but merely nodded at the form that she knew was Petrie's. It was the unspoken vow of the flyer that, though he may see more than anyone, he would take some secrets to the grave. Such was the silent vow of a flyer.

However, upon entering the clearing, they immediately noticed an odd sight.

 _That's actually not the weirdest thing I've ever seen,_ Tracker thought, _Well, if Dodger hasn't killed anyone I guess everything is okay. Could someone please explain this before Violet notices Haven and starts worrying about her reaction?_ Tracker had found out about Violet's smell-blindness in an extremely unpleasant manner. She really didn't want to see it repeated with Ducky.

"Hey, girls…" Breeze's voice suddenly whispered towards them, "We are trying to train Violet to use her sniffer."

Ducky looked perplexed. "She is almost as old as we are… how can she not have learned how to use her sniffer?"

"Haven, Violet is, well…" Tracker sighed. _I might as well just say it._ "Violet's smell-blind." _Way to sound like you're embarrassed to be her friend, Tracker,_ she chided herself.

Much to Tracker's surprise Ducky remained silent for several moments. "That… that actually explains a lot," she offered finally, "She missed things that others would not have missed."

Unsure of where Ducky was going with this, Tracker started to tense up as if preparing for a fight. It was a useless gesture, but Tracker was extremely protective of Violet. _If you've got nothing good to say, Haven, please keep it to yourself._

Ducky noticed a sudden 'stiffness' in Tracker's smell. "Is she alright, Breeze?" Ducky offered cautiously as she gave Breeze a 'watch what you say' look, "If they are training her then that means she is not completely smell-blind."

Breeze paused at Ducky's expression and opened her mouth before quickly closing it. "She can smell a little… right now we have taught her how to tell Taunt and Stern Claw apart."

 _That was fast,_ Tracker thought, _I wonder if she can recognize my scent. I never asked if she could._

Meanwhile, the smell training was continuing in the clearing.

"Okay, Violet," Cera spoke from several meters behind Violet, "Now we are going to test your ability to smell fear…" she then quickly placed a claw against Taunt's neck causing an immediate, if temporary, reaction of fear from the orange fastbiter.

Violet noticed a slight change in Taunt's scent. "His scent changed for a moment." _Almost missed it._

"Knew you could do it, Violet," Dodger told his sister. He kept his reaction down to just a smile despite feeling elated enough to embarrass himself enough that Littlefoot's pack would have to immortalize it in song. _That's what Taunt is for. Violet would also never let me live it down._

Ducky took the opportunity to walk closer to Violet, but was careful to stay far enough away as to not interfere with the test. "Good job, Violet! What have you been taught to smell so far?"

"Just Taunt and Stern Claw," Violet answered, sounding a bit nervous. _I hope she's not just being polite._ A glance at Tracker, somewhat further away, revealed no answers.

Ducky smiled. "Well, that is a good start. Smelling emotions is the hardest part."

"It's not easy," Violet replied. _Dang it. I still don't know what she's thinking. Come on, Tracker, give me a hint._ Not being to actually tell whether Ducky still wanted to be her friend or was just being polite was making her nervous.

"You smell nervous," Ducky offered honestly, "Would you like me to get into your smell-range, Violet?"

"I'd still need someone to tell me what I'm smelling. Unless you're afraid of something everything's just a big jumble of smells," Violet replied. She hung her head dejectedly. _I've still got a_ long _way to go._

Looking towards Dodger, as if asking for permission, Ducky moved closer to Violet and gestured for Tracker to join her.

Dodger moved to help Tracker, though she had them move too quickly for his help to actually make the trip less painful. _Okay, rushing was a bad idea,_ Tracker thought, wincing.

Ducky froze and looked at the scene with horror. "Oh, I am sorry, Tracker! I am, I am!"

Violet noticed the Ducky's change in scent. _Oh, so that's what that smells like. I hope Tracker's okay._

"No worries," Tracker told Ducky with a grimace, "It's about time I tried that on my own, anyway."

Ducky then sat down as Dodger brought Tracker to a place just beside the green fastbiter. It was then that she noticed that Violet seemed to be less nervous than before.

"What changed, Violet?" Taunt offered before Ducky could speak, "Did you smell something?"

"Haven's scent really changed for a few moments," Violet replied, "I wasn't expecting that."

Cera smiled. "That's great, Violet! You are learning fast!"

Ducky nodded. "Maybe you can teach your friends about those gestures I told you about, while they help you learn how to use your sniffer? That way you are all ready for life out there."

Violet smiled a bit. _That's something I know I can do._ "I can do that."

"Thanks a lot, Haven," Dodger muttered under his breath. _Is there anyone that_ didn't _hear that?_

Cera stared at Dodger for a moment as she debated saying something to the effect of 'even the best of us don't know everything', but quickly thought better of it. Fortunately for the awkwardness of the moment, but unfortunately for her sanity, Taunt chose that moment to speak.

"Maybe I can teach them to have a sense of humor next."

Cera groaned. "Like you have been trying to do for the last several years with the pack? Maybe it is not us that needs a lesson, perhaps it is your humor that needs work."

Taunt smiled coyly. "Ha! See, you are capable of humor after all!"

Somewhat overwhelmed by the changes in scent, Violet covered her nose in an attempt to block it all out. She couldn't decipher all that at once. _Whoah! How do you guys not go crazy with all these smells? I can barely keep track of them._

Breeze seemed to notice Violet's distress. "It is hard to keep track of them all, isn't it? That is something that takes a while to learn, but if you have been ignoring it all this time…"

Ducky nodded. "Reminds me about how hard it was for us to learn how to smell… there were so many of them… and many were so similar…"

"I couldn't tell who was who for a moment," Violet admitted, somewhat embarrassed, "I'm never going to get this right."

Taunt frowned for a moment, realizing that his little joke had disheartened her. "Sure you will! Trying to tell smells in a crowd is the hardest thing to do. You have to learn to use your sniffer just like how you learned to run. One step at a time."

Cera nodded. "For once Stripe-Ass is correct. It will just take time."

"So, Violet… what was it you wanted to show us?" Tracker asked her friend in an attempt to steer the conversation back to something that Violet had more confidence in.

"Well, apparently we've been doing some of our gestures wrong," Violet replied, now feeling much more confident, "Haven showed me how to do them right. Here's one I think you might recognize…"

* * *

Littlefoot grunted as he helped drag the longneck corpse towards the meeting place. Even with Spike and Chomper's help it was still quite a challenge. Finally, however, they decided that it was close enough to the clearing to be within comfortable range of Tracker and Violet's abilities.

"Whew! That was worse than the hunt itself!"

Chomper snorted at Littlefoot's exclamation. "At least the hunt was fun!"

Spike merely sighed as he again dug into the beast's neck. The trio had already consumed the first bites as was their right. There was plenty for the others.

"Well… I am sure that they won't be happy with us doing the hunt ourselves…" The others had been waiting for them to give the word that a suitable prey was found. Instead, Littlefoot had given the order to strike while the longneck was in a vulnerable position. "Ponder is going to be pissed…"

Spike sighed… Breeze would undoubtedly chew him out as well.

"Hey… what are they doing?"

Littlefoot looked curiously at Chomper's question. Whatever he was seeing was out of Littlefoot's visual range as Chomper stood higher than them. However, after a moment's sprint, both he and Spike could see a most interesting scene in the clearing.

"No, Tracker, a little higher." Violet tried to get her friend to correctly do a rank acknowledgement. _Who decided that having the difference between one rank below and two being nearly impossible to recognize was a good idea?_ "There, you got it."

"I'm suddenly glad we're not a large pack," Tracker said, "My neck hurts."

Ducky laughed. "That is why our pack usually just uses the simpler 'one up' or 'one down' gestures. As it is Finder and Taunt's rank shifts constantly. So much so I forget who outranks who."

Taunt snorted. "If he would just quit trying to challenge me then it wouldn't be so complicated."

"If you would just submit to my mate already then this wouldn't be so complicated," Breeze retorted with an amused smirk as Cera rolled her eyes.

"I'm never going to understand these people," Tracker whispered to Dodger. _How do they manage to openly talk about rank changes like it is nothing important? Every time Prowler and Dodger nearly decided to rearrange how we operated it seemed like they were intent on killing each other. Their last fight nearly did kill them._

Seeing the scene play out in front of them, Littlefoot could only look at Spike with some amusement. "It seems like things are going well if Violet can give the others lessons!"

Spike nodded. "Tracker seems to be moving around as well."

"Ah, there you three are. You three are right there."

Littlefoot turned suddenly as Ruby's form appeared from the bushes. He had forgotten that she was the one on guard duty.

"How are…" That was when she saw it. In a moment that seemed to last for ages for Littlefoot his mate's expression went from pleasantly surprised to unconcealed anger, "You three hunted without anyone else?!"

Littlefoot smiled apologetically. "Now, dear…"

Ruby raised a finger as the thoughts about rank continued to echo in her head. "Maybe I should show the newcomers an important thing about rank. An angry Ponder outranks everyone!"

As Littlefoot retreated in the distance while Ruby, and then Breeze, raised hell at their respective mates, the remaining dinosaurs watched the scene with some bemusement.

"I'm not the only one seeing this, am I?" Violet asked. It was one thing to know that a pack leader could be questioned; it was quite another to see one being yelled at.

"Yep, I'm never going to understand this pack," Tracker said.

Ducky laughed as she offered her hand to help Tracker up, "That is one of the great things about being mated to a pack leader, Tracker, you can set them straight if they mess up…" Dodger noticeably stiffened, "Let's go get the food before Path eats it all!" she finally offered humorously.

 _Haven has something against me, doesn't she?_ Dodger thought as he followed everyone else, _No wonder Violet likes her._

* * *

 **Hanging Rock in the 'present':**

 _Hmmmm... count on a hidden runner to make a hunt interesting._

Her prey stood in front of her as if to challenge her resolve. The rest of its herd had remained back in a defensive line, whereas this adventurous fool and sprung forward to challenge her pack. It would have been so easy to envelop the prey... but she knew her competitor. This had to be a trick somehow.

"Wow, Mender, you're looking at that rock like you want to rip it apart!"

Mender looked up from the smooth stones residing in makeshift holes in the ground and fixed her gaze on her opponent.

"A hunt is a hunt. Even if it is just stones and bones."

And then she looked down again at the field of play. Suppressing a groan she carefully examined her opponent's recent moves. _She has a strategy of some kind. The question is: what is it?_

'Ambush and Retreat' was one of the numerous ideas that had come from the rainbowfaces over the intervening years, though unlike a healing remedy or other 'inadvertent cultural interferences' from Chronos this game had found wide acceptance among hidden runners and fastbiters alike. It was a simple game at its core, with 8 rows of 8 holes and 16 stones or bone pieces per player. What made it unique, however, is what it allowed its players to do.

To practice strategy without actually staging a hunt.

After a few more moments of contemplation, Mender took one of her bone pieces and moved it towards Cynnil's line. She then leaned back with a satisfied grin.

"Trying to make me overreact again, huh?"

Cynnil nodded as she moved the endangered stone to safety, "Correct. Had you tried to surround my stone then I would have taken your bone."

Mender quickly moved one of her bone shards, surrounding Cynnil's stone on two sides in the process, "Left one of the younglings vulnerable though." She then took the stone and placed it aside.

Cynnil countered by moving one of her stones at the front of the line, now trapping Mender's piece in her corner of the grid, "You know what happens when you take a youngling... the adults get mad."

Mender smiled evilly, _Exactly!_ Seeing her opening, she then moved her bone shard in front of the stone that had just been moved, and then picked it up. Cynnil had missed the fact that she had made herself vulnerable.

"You are getting much better at hiding your intentions. I did not see that coming." Cynnil bowed her head slightly as she gestured at the game. She knew that the game had been lost.

Mender nodded slightly out of respect, "I was thinking about what Spotter told me the last time me and him played. Make your opponent overconfident and then go for the kill."

Cynnil smiled, "That flyer scares me sometimes."

"That's because he's scary!" Mender affirmed with a laugh, "No wonder why my brother still doesn't quite like him. I wonder if I will get to sing that part of the story before we have to leave the fastrunners."

The hidden runner rubbed her chin as she considered those words, "Speaking of songs I noticed that you left out a few verses."

Mender twitched her tail nervously, "Cynnil, you know that…"

"I am not criticizing. That part of the song is not for the ears of outsiders." The hidden runner waved her hand dismissively, "I was just surprised that you were able to switch up the song on the spot. It isn't like we sing them to outsiders that often."

"I sing them to myself sometimes…" _…and leave out the depressing parts._ Mender sighed as she looked towards the fastrunners in the distance who were now bathing in the water of the stream, "I am just not sure where we go from here."

"We are no longer talking about the songs, are we?" Cynnil's gaze followed Mender's as the pieces began to connect in her mind, "I am sure Arial will be fine. She only needs a bit more time and she will be good as new. Probably no more than eight more nights."

"Ten nights. She is hiding some of her discomfort from us because she doesn't want to look weak," Mender reported without much thought. _You can't hide it from me, Arial. I was the master of hiding wounds._

Cynnil looked at Mender in surprise as if she had missed the detail entirely, but did not contradict her friend's assessment. However, it was the look of turmoil in Mender's eyes that told her what was coming next. Bad news.

"It is what Pearl told me that has me concerned."

Cynnil looked uneasy at her comrade's tone, "Oh?"

Mender looked at her leader directly. _No reason to sneak around the bush._ "The Mysterious Beyond knows about the _arrangement_."

Arial watched the three dinosaurs pace in the distance. It had only been moments ago that they had been playing their odd little game, but now it appeared that some serious discussion was taking place. _Even Buse looks upset. What happened?_

"I see that Mender has told Cynnil."

Arial shook the water out of her feathers as she looked back at her father. His attention was focused on the fastbiters as well, but he did not appear to be confused about the situation at all.

"Dad?"

"Well it couldn't have stayed secret forever. With this many dinosaurs involved it was bound to be noticed sooner or later."

Arial quickly shifted to the new speaker. Her mother did not sound confused either.

"Mom?"

"I just wonder what they will decide, you know that the valley doesn't…"

"Can somebody tell us what is going on?!"

It was only when Orchid spoke up that both parents finally stopped speaking and looked at their children. In their freshly dried state, with feathers puffing every which way, they almost looked like the young children that they used to be. However, the seriousness in their children's eyes and the maturity of their bodies broke any illusion of those childhood days. They both knew that they had some explaining to do.

* * *

 **The Great Valley:**

 **Communicator active…**

 _Kind greetings:_

 _Attached you will find the report that you requested, Malarek. We are still indebted to you for your gift of the Archiver Stones. Words cannot describe how ecstatic we were when we saw that the 'flying sky stones' (as the locals call them) that had recently landed near our home would provide us with enough storage for us and our progeny to record our research for centuries to come. Your warnings about avoiding cultural contamination are well understood by us, and will certainly continue to be honored._

 _Please be advised, however, that due to the level 3 quarantine around this planet that our narrow-beams transmissions will only allow for our reports to be sent in segments at a time. As you indicated an interest in the social situation amongst this planet's inhabitants, we will send you this information first._

 _Commander Logos_

 **Report follows…**

 _ **Social development amongst the terrestrial megafauna on Creastor 420c: addendum 34**_

 _ **Officer Chronos**_

 _The arrangement of Brekan's Gulch (the alliance)_

 _No discussion of the social groups on this planet can commence without mentioning the alliance between the hidden runners of the Northern Lands, the allies of Seeker, and the Great Valley. Originally established as an agreement to exchange medicinal plants between the three powers, and a general agreement to not be hostile to the territorial claims of the others, it quickly expanded to include many other stipulations. All parties get medicinal supplies, the hidden runners of the Northern Lands get protection from allied carnivores, the allies of Seeker get the mutual respect of their respective territorial grounds, all parties get the assistance of hidden runner reports, and each is protected in the event of another tyrant. On its surface then it may seem like a typical alliance combined with a trade agreement. However few treaties, even amongst the space-faring races, would include one of the unspoken provisions of this agreement: that its existence remain a secret to most of the residents of the valley._

 _Now on its surface this would seem to place the Great Valley at a disadvantage, but its leaders felt that the general antipathy between carnivorous and herbivorous species would demand that formal cooperation remain confidential. Ad hoc arrangements to obtain help from carnivorous beings have been successful in the past (see prior report on the Battle of the Valley), but the constant influx of new residents and the continued pressures of predation make general knowledge of any permanent arrangement unacceptable to the non-flight capable population._

 _The role of the flight-capable species in the alliance_

 _Due to their relative safety from land-based predation and their ability to transverse large distances in a relatively short amount of time, flight-capable species are understandably an important component of the alliance. When considering this, however, one must…_

 **Communicator interrupted…**

"Ah, damn it!"

"Language dear! The children are present."

Chronos groaned as he tried to aim the rock towards the estimated location of the communications satellite. "I am sure it is language they have heard before. They attended the last valley meeting."

Logos rolled her eyes as she continued to calibrate the Archiver Stone to her species by rolling it in her hands, "Well I hope we can do better than a valley meeting, dear."

"You talk funny in the talk-back, dad." Datum noted with amusement, intentionally using the language he had told him not to use in his reports.

"Datum…"

Logos snorted, "Now how would you say that so that it translates properly, dear?"

"You verbally communicate in an irregular manner in the recording, Father." Axiom intoned as she stuck out her tongue at her brother.

"Your attempt to correct my misuse of language only indicates to any rational observer that you missed the underlying point of my joke." Datum crossed his arms as he leaned back in amused satisfaction. He may be expected to talk 'properly' in his reports to a world he never visited, but he intended to mock that kind of talk it in his world.

This earned a hearty laugh from everyone involved as the two children continued to examine their special stones. That was when Axiom turned a bit more serious.

"What do you think will happen if the rest find out about the agreement?"

Chronos and Logos shared a look for a moment before sighing.

"Now that, Axiom…" Logos began, "that is a good question."

 **Communication reestablished… Seeking node…**

Chronos smiled, "Well hopefully we can send this report before that happens, or the Bright Circle burns out, or the heat death of the universe…"

"Dear!" Logos gave her mate a playful slap as he held on to the nearly indestructible stone.

"Hey!" Chronos laughed as he waited for the playback to begin again, "But in all seriousness, Axiom, I think it will be fine. All of us have been through worse."

Datum nodded his head as if to convince himself, _I hope you're right, Dad. We might be in a valley, but some of my friends are still out there. I wonder what Biter is up to now?_

* * *

 **My apologies for the delay, everyone. I must admit that I have been busy preparing my students for their final exams over the last few weeks and this lack of time had only made my confusion on where to go in the 'present day' portion of the story grow. Now, however, I have regained my inspiration and have a plan for the future of the story. I do eagerly look forward to your comments and criticism, however, as this story is going to use some techniques and cover some topics that I have not covered before. To a great extent my talented co-author for the 'past portion' of the tale, Historian1912, can take credit for the movement into new areas that have not been crossed until now. We both look forward to your thoughts and critique. (:  
**

 **Thanks again for the reviews!  
**

 **gordhanx:** Thank you for the detailed review as always. (: Yep, there was quite a bit of character development in the previous chapter as we got to see a bit more of the new pack and what makes them tick. Though Littlefoot should probably give the newcomers a lesson on not taking things too seriously when survival is not involved. Dodger's pack has been through a hard time and this has led to them having one mode for anything they put their minds to: go all-in.

 **Hunter:** Nope. No major characters have died in quite awhile, though there were some close calls in the last story. As the 'past' portion of this story is a prequel to Songs of the Hunters you can expect anyone who was alive in that story to remain alive in this one. As for the others... you will have to wait and see. ;-)

 **DevoutRelic:** I bet Seeker would be surprised if he realized how insecure all of the members of Dodger's pack is. Violet's case is more obvious, but even the others have signs of not understanding their place or how to react in others of their kind in the world in which they find themselves. This is something that will continue to play itself out in future chapters. As for the lack of plot development, you are quite right there. The previous chapter was more of a chance for characterization of these newcomers... though the plot seems to have caught up in this chapter (much to Tracker's detriment). We will have to see if these developments lead to any further complications.

 **bryan mccloud:** Indeed. d-; Or at least a hard fruit (coconut). If anyone needs a helmet it is Violet.

 **JulianR94:** You are indeed correct that it is a most curious situation. Dodger's pack has more than enough experience with surviving, but little knowledge on the niceties of pack life or understanding subtext. I have based their life history off of actual child soldiers in third-world civil wars. Such children often have more knowledge and trauma of war than anyone should have, while at the same time having utter innocence in many other respects. As for Mender in her present form... let's just say you might be correct there. We will see a bit more of her journey in the following chapters.


	9. Chapter 8: Guests

**-v-**

 **Chapter 8: Guests  
**

 _ **"Fastrunners, as they are called by the local residents, occupy a most odd place in the developing proto-society of the region. As relatively small organisms they are easy targets of the larger or faster carnivores in the event that their speed and cunning fails them, whereas their status as omnivores make their presence suspect to the herbivores. As a result they are tolerated in some places but welcome in none."**_

 _ **"Though, one might suppose, this lack of knowing if one will be welcomed or reproached is not limited to this one species. Indeed territorial concerns often leads to many organisms not knowing their status until it is brought to their attention in a most direct fashion..."**_

 _ **Officer Chronos,**_

 _ **An introductory report on 'fastrunner' traditions**_

* * *

 **Just outside of Hanging Rock:**

The male fastrunner carefully peeked his head above the rocks. Though the fastrunner family had done nothing more than chase him away, he preferred to avoid that occurring again.

 _Well, I wouldn't mind if she chases me._

His thoughts turned to the pink form in the distance. The one he jokingly thought of as his 'pink nemesis'. As much as he would deny it, he actually found it amusing when she took the initiative to chase him out of their territory. It was almost like she was a welcome neighbor and not a potential threat.

She had not chased him in the last three incursions, however. It had been the elder male who chased him off in his latest attempt to snag fish from their stream. He frowned at that realization, only peripherally aware that he was beginning to take a liking to his usual adversary..

 _I hope that she is alright._

Though perhaps his thoughts should have been focused on his own safety...

* * *

A pair of yellow eyes gleamed as they inspected the gorge in front of Hanging Rock. Within a few moments two additional pairs of eyes appeared in the rocks above her, their owners being careful to blend into the stones as if they were part of the ground itself. A trait that only a hidden runner could pull off.

And a purple fastrunner could not.

 _I think we have an intruder,_ Mender thought to herself. She glanced back towards Hanging Rock. Spotting Detras and having just seen Orchid on her way out here, she moved forward confidently, sure that her target wasn't a friend. _Definitely an intruder. Time to get rid of him... permanently._

The fastrunner seemed to think the coast was clear as he moved forward with an aura of caution. His destination was obviously the stream as he made a beeline towards the edge of the gorge, rapidly advancing towards the water. He had no idea that he was now being watched.

For their part, Buse and Cynnil moved down the rocks with their eyes firmly fixed on the unfortunate fastrunner. He would be past them in mere moments, but this did not concern Mender. She knew that they were not there to ambush him on his way in… they were there to trap him once she chased him out.

 _No way out of the gorge except up… and my friends have that covered. Once he gets out of the gorge, however..._

Her eyes again examined Hanging Rock itself. The small stream stood in front of it like a small oasis in a sea of dust. Both a welcome relief and the perfect bait. If he wanted to go to the left or right then she could chase him down as fastrunners were fast but lacked stamina. If this fastrunner was bright then there was only one path he could choose.

The same path he had originally taken.

The fastrunner seemed to stare for several moments at Hanging Rock as the the agitated voice of Arial bickered at her brother over some undoubtedly trivial matter. The laugh from Orchid all but confirmed it was nothing important. The male smiled slightly once he heard Arial laugh before continuing his advance.

 _Okay, here we go..._ Mender thought to herself as she slowly followed her target. _No cover after this rock._ She peeked around it. _He's still oblivious. Now's my chance._ Mender carefully moved out from behind the rock she had hidden behind and silently began her charge.

The fastrunner continued his move, quickly speeding up as he approached the stream. He knew full well that he would have to get his fish quickly before the family chased him once more. Once he finally reached his destination he did his customary check to make sure he wasn't being noticed.

That's when he locked eyes with something that most certainly was not another fastrunner.

 _So much for easy,_ Mender thought frustratedly as she quickened her pace, following the fastrunner along the bank of the stream. She started to gain on her prey.

The fastrunner weaved to the left and right in an attempt to gain distance on his foe, but a quick shift to the left confirmed what he was about to do.

 _Oh, no you don't._ Anticipating the fastrunner's move, Mender turned towards the gorge at the same time he did, barely losing any ground as she did so.

* * *

 _Shit! Shit! Shit! Where the fuck did that come from!?_

Nahoda could feel the ache within his legs as he attempted to outrun the fastbiter on his tail. He had somewhat expected to be chased from the territory but not from someone who planned on eating him. Were he not running for his life he might have found that thought humorous.

 _Okay, a little more and then I can go up the rocks… the bitch won't follow me up there… just a bit more…_

 **Click!**

The male struggled to change his direction as hidden runners emerged from the rocks like water running down the gorge. Their threatening clicks confirming that his only avenue for escape had been sealed away. In his desperation all rational thought ended, and he turned to pure instinct. Perhaps he gravitated towards what his subconscious thought was safety? Perhaps he wanted his final chase to end where most of them had begun? Or perhaps he simply wanted to die in the presence of others of his own kind? But for whatever reason his legs led him in a most unusual direction.

Straight towards Hanging Rock.

* * *

Arial heard the scream before she saw the sudden flash of purple.

 _Nahoda? Intruding again... What are you…_

Then she saw it. The fastbiter in the distance.

She sprinted away before anyone could stop her.

* * *

 _Just a bit closer... just a bit closer..._ Mender kept repeating to herself as she kept pace with the fastrunner in front of her. She was almost close enough to take the leap that would end the chase along with the fastrunner's life.

He continued forward as if he were prepared to climb up Hanging Rock itself. The scent of desperation and terror now strong enough for even Mender's sniffer to detect.

Mender finally got close enough to make her leap. _Just a couple more steps..._

Suddenly the fastrunner disappeared in a flash of pink.

Thrown off-balance by her target no longer being in front of her, Mender tried to slow to a stop and turn towards the groaning sound she could now hear, but her own momentum sent her tumbling. _I thought I was past this,_ Mender groaned to herself as she carefully picked herself up, _This fastrunner better not have gotten away..._

"He's harmless! You don't have to kill him!"

Mender stopped and stared at Arial, confused by what she was hearing. _Harmless, sure. He's supposed to be food. He'll definitely be harmless then._

Orchid ran up to his sister and quickly put a hand on her shoulder. "Sis, I don't think they… I think he's dinner…" As quickly as possible he tried to pull her back, as Detras arrived on the scene and did the same, grabbing her other arm. This only resulted in Arial scrambling away and latching herself onto Nahoda's terrified form.

"No!"

Mender looked from Detras to Arial and back, her expression increasingly bewildered. She was certain she or her packmates could kill their prey before Arial realized what happened, but whether they should do that was another question entirely. "Arial, did you just run all the way here from Hanging Rock?" Mender finally asked, grasping onto the only thing that made sense to her right then, "Are you trying to mess your leg up again?" _If she fell getting down here..._

It was only then that the male began to come back to his senses. "Arial? What… she's here!" He struggled to rise to his feet. "Run! Save your…"

"She's my healer," Arial said simply as she positioned herself between Nahoda and the hidden runners, totally unaware of her father very carefully positioning himself beside Arial and gesturing for the rest of the family to do the same. His face was a picture of contradictions, a mixture of anger, bemusement, and pride as he stared at his daughter.

"You… know her?"

Arial violently nudged the male. "Shut up, Nahoda, I am trying to save your life," she took a deep breath, appearing unsure of what to say. The scent of determination quickly dissipating and being replaced with confusion and fear.

"Arial, look at me."

The fastrunner looked up, her eyes still glassy with uncertainty. It was obvious that she only then realized what she had done and how much she had risked.

"If he means that much to you then I won't eat him," Mender said before giving Arial a questioning look, "Are you courting him?"

The look that Arial gave Mender was one of utter incomprehension. It was as if Mender had rendered the fastrunner incapable of thought.

That was when Detras moved in front of his daughter.

"Nahoda."

The male continued to look dumbstruck.

"Nahoda!"

The male finally registered the voice. "S-sir?"

The elder male gave his mate a look as she placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. It was only then that he addressed the intruder.

"Well… we can't let our guests go hungry, now, can we?" Mender could not see the look that Detras was giving the male, but the horrified face of Nahoda gave her a hint. "So how about you and I help get some scaly swimmers for them… and have a little chat."

Detras and a still disturbed Nahoda were soon walking away, headed towards the stream in silence. Mender watched, slightly confused, as Pearl led Arial back towards Hanging Rock. Mirroring Mender's confusion was Orchid. Remaining behind with Mender, he seemed to understand the situation well enough to find it funny.

"I'm never going to get to eat a fastrunner, am I?" Mender wondered aloud, half hoping it might startle Orchid out of his amusement. _No laughing at your sister, Orchid._

"We have been chasing him away for many Night Circles…. It's odd." He shook his head, obviously not registering Mender's creepy joke. "He was a nuisance, always eating our fish, but at some point… it's kind of welcoming you know? Someone who is always there…"

"Well, I was here today, and he didn't see me coming. I didn't see Arial coming either..." Mender trailed off, trying to puzzle everything out.

"She didn't see her coming, either," Orchid muttered, "She just acted…"

He shook his head and gave an exasperated laugh. "Heck of a way to impress a mate, sis."

"Wait, did she just...?" Mender sputtered, looking at Orchid in shock. _Is_ that _how you propose?_

Orchid snorted, "No, but if you were him would you even bother looking for another female? She just saved him from a fucking fastbiter…" he looked up, "Um… no offense."

"Well, at least someone thinks I'm scary," Mender said, ignoring Orchid's unintentional jab, "If I ran into another fastbiter I'd probably be running for my life. Surprise meetings tend to go very badly."

"Don't put yourself short, Mender. We would be running with you!" Buse's voice called out, alerting Mender to the fact that the rest of her pack had now laid down in a mixture of exhaustion and uncertainty.

Orchid shook his head in disbelief. "I'm sure they couldn't have gone worse than this."

"Orchid, you have no idea just how wrong things can go," Mender said with a laugh, "Staza and I managed to find ourselves in quite a mess not long after first meeting Seeker and his pack..."

* * *

 **The past, six days after the events of chapter 7:**

Violet walked through the brush with deliberate cautiousness. Today was the first day that Tracker was permitted to join her on scouting duty, which was in itself a huge show of confidence by the pack. Despite her lingering thoughts that she was unworthy of such trust, this mission filled her with hope.

"How are your legs feeling?" she finally spoke to her friend.

"Great. I hated not being able to walk," Tracker replied.

Violet absentmindedly took a glance at Tracker's now smaller leg musculature. Her days of being immobile had taken their toll, but the best way to combat this was to move around.

"I am glad to hear that," Violet replied softly. She doubted that she could have kept her wits about her like Tracker had in her situation. _She is so much stronger than me…_

The two fastbiters carefully peeked through some bushes as they examined another clearing in the deep forest. They were on the lookout for anything unusual. The pack did not need to hunt until tomorrow, but even finding a potential herd of prey would be useful. That was to say nothing about the potential of finding a threat.

"I don't see anything," Violet spoke in a whisper, "Do you smell anything?"

"I've got nothing," Tracker said, a bit annoyed, "Maybe we should find a hill." _I don't like 'nothing'.'Nothing' has a tendency to turn into a very bad 'something'._

"You smell…" Violet hesitated. She was still unsure about her ability to determine smells. "Are you nervous, Tracker?" she asked softly. _If she's scared then I'm scared…_

"Its nothing, Violet," Tracker said, trying to sooth Violet's fears, "Just a bad memory."

Violet looked at her with some concern. There was no deceit in her words, nor in her smell. It had taken her a long time for Taunt to teach her how to tell when he was joking or serious, but she was now confident about her ability to determine that at least. Tracker was truly talking about something unpleasant in her past.

"You're talking about that time I don't remember, right?"

Tracker froze. _Here come the questions. Again._ "Yes, and I _don't_ want to talk about it." _Not that that ever dissuaded you before._

The cascade of smells that Violet then received threatened to overwhelm her. A mixture of anger, but lighter… _frustration?_ A sadness that lingered… A terror that was distant… a horrifying mix that hinted at distant pain. A pain that wasn't there until she mentioned it.

"I'm.. I'm sorry!" Violet choked out as she quickly walked forward and acted like she was sniffing the ground. All that she knew was that she had caused her friend pain in some way, and she wanted to avoid making it worse.

"Violet, it's okay. It's okay. You've got nothing to be sorry for." Tracker sighed. _I should have told you about this a long time ago. Now's not the time, though._

"But… I upset you… did I do that to you every time I asked about that?" she questioned with concern and more than a little guilt.

"Somewhat," Tracker reluctantly admitted. _There's got to be a way to distract… I got it!_ "You didn't know. Do you remember those times I would wake up screaming in the middle of the night?"

Violet nodded. She remembered those incidents quite well.

"Well, one time Dodger was on watch and went to check on me. I wasn't thinking clearly, so I attacked him." Tracker couldn't keep herself from laughing. "He was more irritated with how poor my attack was than the attack itself. A hatchling could have done better."

Violet snickered at that. "That sounds like Dodger." She now gave up any pretense of sniffing the terrain as she looked around again, back in scouting mode. "I've noticed that you haven't done any of that since you have been here."

"It feels safer here." _And knowing that Calin is dead helps more than I'm willing to admit._

Violet nodded at that. "This pack knows what they are doing… it is a shame that we need to go soon…" Her eyes bulged as she realized what she had implied. "...I mean… I didn't mean that Dodger…"

"Violet, if you want to stay, all you have to do is ask. Dodger just wants you safe, and there's no place safer than here," Tracker said.

Violet bowed her head, suddenly ashamed by her words despite Tracker's understanding. "But you are family. _My_ family," she reiterated as she looked at Tracker sadly, "Family sticks together, right?"

"Right." Tracker wasn't going to argue the point with her friend; her heart wasn't in it. _I need to talk to Dodger about this._

Violet nodded. "I just hope… we can find a place close by," she smiled slightly, "We have never had allies before… or friends."

"Then what am I, food?" Tracker asked jokingly.

Violet rolled her eyes. "I said we, you dolt!" but her eyes immediately bulged when she realized what she had said to her now, admittedly, higher-ranked counterpart. She gave an apologetic bow in the manner she had taught several days ago.

"Violet…" Tracker sighed. "If no one has torn Taunt to shreds, I'm pretty sure you can insult me. Just don't do it in front of another pack."

Violet nodded in understanding at Tracker's words as she again looked into the clearing. "Have you smelled the… stuff… that we were looking for?" She was hesitant to say its name. Despite their host pack's obvious unwillingness to give away all of their secrets Dodger had tasked them with finding and identifying the plant that had been used against Tracker. It, and the antidote, would prove valuable once they were on their own again.

"No, wait… I think I got something. Follow me." Tracker surged ahead, intent on following the smell to the source.

Violet followed dutifully, if a bit reluctantly. Even though it was not forbidden by their hosts to look for other things during their mission, she still felt it was a bit underhanded. She had to remind herself that this was for her pack, and it would not harm her hosts in any way. For the next few moments she followed Tracker at a speedy trot. A feat that would have been impressive for Tracker mere days before.

Tracker stopped in front of an unassuming plant. "That's the anti-death, or whatever you call it," Tracker said, "I'd know that smell anywhere."

Violet covered her nose after she gave it a strong sniff. Even though she had had smell lessons for the last week she doubted that she could make out any smells for the next few moments due to the stench permeating through her sniffer. "This stuff smells awful!"

"The stuff that kills you is worse," Tracker replied.

Violet grabbed one of the plants. "Well, awful as it is… I guess it is better than dying." She then looked at Tracker. "Do you smell the bad stuff anywhere?"

"Yeah. It's a bit further. I can't believe it's so far out. If there was a surprise attack they'd never get to it in time." _I_ really _want to know how they got it and tore a hole in my leg,_ Tracker thought irritatedly, _Apparently I have the worst luck of any fastbiter ever hatched._

"Um…" Violet hesitated for a moment as she debated if she should mention what she was thinking. "I… have noticed Haven looking after a hole by her sleeping place. It… well, I saw her put something in it one day and put a rock over the hole when she thought I wasn't looking… Do you think they keep some of them in there?"

"Maybe, but it wouldn't last long. No Bright Circle, no tree, no bush, no Orange Death." _Thank you boring lessons on leaf-eater food._ Tracker could never understand why her parents had thought it important to know where leaf-eaters' food could be found, though she suspected it had something to do with finding leaf-eaters. The lessons were painfully boring, though, which was ironically why she remembered them so well.

* * *

"You got the offering ready, Leap?"

Leap groaned as Thud playfully mocked him. Thud knew full well that a juvenile swimmer was too large for him to carry alone.

"All due respects, sir, but you are an ass!"

His leader's boisterous laughter echoed across the forest as Swift soon joined in the symphony of amusement. A mere year ago he would have feared to speak so freely to Thud, but ever since the great battle they had grown as a pack. He simply considered Thud part of his family now, albeit one that gave the orders.

"Where do you think that my son gets it from, Leap?" A chuckle left his mouth. "But you are right, your sister and I will drag this a little ways. How about you go to the edge of our friends' territory and give the customary signal? Let's see if their scouting abilities have improved any."

Leap smiled coyly. "You want us to catch your son daydreaming again."

Thud shrugged. "I didn't say anything like that…. but yes." He smirked. "Happy hunting, Leap!"

Leap grinned as he bounded off deeper into the forest. The other pack wouldn't know what hit them.

* * *

"Over here!" Tracker called to Violet. She took a few cautious steps away from the Orange Death she just found. "Don't touch it."

Violet crouched down to where Tracker was gesturing. "This is it? This is the Orange Death? It doesn't look like much…"

Tracker just glared. _Do I need to remind you…_

Violet quickly realized how callous her statement sounded. _Me and my big mouth!_ "Sorry, Tracker…" She bowed apologetically. "I just meant that if I had seen this without knowing about it then I would think it was just another plant."

"You're right; it's easy to overlook. Now let's get out of here before there's an accident." _Or we get caught,_ Tracker silently added.

* * *

" _This is it? This is the Orange Death? It doesn't look like much…"_

Leap nearly slammed himself to the ground as he heard the words from the unseen fastbiter.

 _Intruders! And they know about the Orange Death!_

Leap struggled to keep his breath slow and controlled. He could not discount the possibility that they could be new members of the pack… but that would not explain their surprise at seeing the Orange Death. Something here did not add up.

" _You're right; it's easy to overlook. Now let's get out of here before there's an accident."_

Leap sucked in a breath. He had to let his packmates know about this immediately. Without waiting to catch his bearings he stepped backwards to exit his hiding spot.

...And promptly stepped on a twig.

* * *

 **Crack!**

 _Yikes!_ Tracker thought. Her head jerked towards the sound, but she couldn't see anything yet. "Violet, I think it's time to go…"

Violet struggled to her feet as she stared at the bushes where the sound had emerged. For several moments she could not see anything, but then suddenly the large shadow of a fastbiter appeared over the bushes. It was a figure that she had never seen before.

Tracker, however, recognized him instantly. However, past experience and what her mind associated him with did not allow her to remain calm. "Violet, run!" Tracker turned and followed her own advice, after practical shoving Violet away from the other fastbiter..

None of them noticed the fastbiter continue to stare at the spot where Tracker once stood. For several moments he merely stood there, unable to move or speak. It was only once the realization of what he had witnessed came to him that he finally collapsed to the ground and wept.

* * *

It was several moments later that his packmates found him.

"Leap! What happened?!"

Thud rushed through the underbrush with a speed that almost seemed unnatural. In a swift movement he quickly examined his packmate and assessed him for injuries. It was the lack of injuries that concerned him the most. What in the heck had happened here?

"It… it was her…"

Swift ran up and down the line of bushes staring at the trees around them with murderous intent. "Who, Leap? Who hurt you?"

Leap shook his head as he choked back a sob. "I… I hurt her… she was the one… the…"

Thud shook Leap. "Spit it out, Leap!" Despite not wanting to harm his friend he had to know what had transpired here.

"She's the one that made us decide to leave! To get away from Calin and his evil bastards!" he wailed, "She's the one that we thought died…"

Swift froze. "The one who… the cliff…"

Leap stared at his sister with an utterly defeated expression. "She's alive, sis."

Thud looked at the two siblings with exasperation as they both looked like they had experienced a death in the family. He had no idea what was going on and was quickly tiring of the situation.

"Can someone tell me what is going on?!"

Leap merely looked down as the scent of unrestrained remorse radiated from him. Finally it was his sister that addressed her leader with a shaky voice.

"It happened when we were in Calin's pack…"

* * *

 _Must go faster! Must go faster!_ Tracker thought repeatedly. She hadn't been this scared in a very long time. Quite by accident she was making Violet's mental situation even worse than her own.

 _Damn it! We have to warn the others!_ Violet thought in a panic. She had no idea what the significance was of who Tracker noticed, but she realized based upon her reaction that it must have been very bad news. At their current rate of speed it did not take them long to attract the appearance of Petrie.

"What wrong!? Should me give alert!?" he squawked overhead.

"Yes!" Tracker shouted without thinking things all the way through. If she had she might have made the connection between _Leap_ and _ally of Seeker._

Instantly Petrie raised his beak and soared into the air. It did not take long for his tell-tale alert to echo across the land. Based upon Tracker's reaction he did not hesitate to give his alert a treatment that everyone would understand.

* * *

 **Caw! Caw! Caw! Caw!**

Taunt dropped his ground fuzzy as Petrie's alert echoed in his ears. "A four call alert! Shit!"

In an instant he was sprinting headlong towards Ducky's sleeping area. Going directly at the threat was not an option now. A four call alert meant that a packmate was down or…

"We must be under attack!" Littlefoot screamed as he reached into the pit and literally threw a bulb of Orange Death towards Taunt. His spear was tossed at him by Ruby a split second later.

Taunt quickly poisoned his spear without speaking a word. The time for talking was over. Now was the time for action.

"What now?" Spike asked in the distance as he too grabbed his spear.

"What on earth is going on?" Dodger practically demanded. _Where are Violet and Tracker?_

Littlefoot did not waste time to look up as he passed the final spear to Ducky. "Spotter gave an alert. We are under attack! You stay here and guard Violet and Tracker if they get back."

"WHAT!" Dodger demanded. _You want me to do_ WHAT _while my packmates are in danger?!_

Littlefoot glanced in his direction for a moment, as if he were weighing something in his mind.

"Follow then… if you see them, then guard them." his words were cold due to the magnitude of the situation. "Otherwise, help us avenge them."

"Yes, sir," Dodger replied just as coldly.

Without any further words being exchanged the fastbiters sprinted into the distance. The distant footsteps of Chomper becoming louder as they approached from his now aborted scouting mission... Soon the battle would be joined.

* * *

Thud's blood went cold as he listened to Swift's words. He had never heard the tale of what made her and her brother risk all to escape from Calin's pack, but now he realized why they had never told him. It was worse than he could ever have imagined.

"He made you… that… that irredeemable bastard!"

Leap sucked in a sob. "We had to leave… What if my sister were next? What if it were me? Calin didn't care who he hurt… who he killed… in those last days he didn't seem to care. He just wanted to see everyone bleed."

 **Caw! Caw! Caw! Caw!**

Thud looked up at where the alert came. "What?!"

Swift froze in horror. "Oh no… They must have found the intruders…"

Leap screamed, "She lived through Calin, we can't let her die now! She deserves better than that!"

Thud sucked in a deep breath. "Then let's warn the pack before they make a terrible mistake."

Without another word they ran into the coming chaos. Giving warning calls as they proceeded.

* * *

Littlefoot ran forward with great agitation as he held his spear close to his shoulder. They had no idea what awaited them in the brush, whether their guests were alive or dead; all that they knew was that the pack was under threat.

"Wing formation!" Littlefoot barked, "Spread out and get ready!"

"Wing formation?" Dodger asked. Understandably the pack hadn't exactly explained every strategy of theirs to him. Those strategies also didn't take him into consideration.

Taunt carefully clicked with his mouth. "Fall back to where I am!" Without looking to see if Dodger understood, Taunt then slowed until he was near the back of the pack. With only Dodger being out of place in the V-shaped formation.

Dodger slowed to a stop, letting everyone else run past his position before hurrying to catch back up with Taunt. _Is there a reason someone couldn't have mentioned this_ before _we got out here?_

Just then Ducky let out a high-pitched hiss, which was soon followed by a click from Cera. At this point Littlefoot raised a hand for the others to stop. The pack had obviously found something.

Ducky then raised two claws and scraped the ground. Littlefoot nodded his head as if he understood her signal completely. He then made an odd gesture with his arm and clicked four times. As if on cue, Cera, Ducky, and Taunt advanced with their spears raised.

Dodger moved forward slightly to take Taunt's former position but did not go any further. _Maybe I should have stayed behind…_ He was used to giving and receiving clear orders, not trying to puzzle some out that he didn't understand. _Bad leader or not, at least I could understand Prowler's orders._

"They found something…" Spike's voice whispered in Dodger's ear, "Back us up." Without further explanation he too edge behind his three friends, spear raised.

Dodger followed close behind, hoping he was doing the right thing. Needing some room to rush an opponent, he shifted himself so that he would be on the flank though still behind the line. No sense trying to cut through his allies and make a mess.

Suddenly the bushes exploded as three fastbiters tore through the vegetation in a headlong sprint. It was only a swift reaction from Littlefoot that prevented a slaughter.

"Hold!"

Dodger moved forward the moment the three fastbiters came into view but stopped level with the pack's line at Littlefoot's order. _Okay, sir. So what's the plan?Just tell me what to do._

"Thud?" Littlefoot spoke with obvious surprise and more than a little relief, "Did you surprise our scouting party?"

Thud breathed hoarsely; it was obvious that he had been sprinting for some time. "We didn't see any of you in a scouting party. We did see someone that Leap and Swift knew in Calin's pack, however…"

At that Dodger went from calm to silent but controlled rage. Some days ago Tracker had pulled him aside, or rather had him help her somewhere more private, and told him quite a few of the details she'd left out during the time-that-is-not-to-be-spoken-of. Calin was one of those details.

Ducky tightened the grip on her spear as Littlefoot held his breath. _So the alert wasn't a mistake…_

"But don't hurt her!" Leap suddenly interrupted as he stepped forward, "I'm… sure that she means no harm. She is one of the few who escaped before we tried."

Littlefoot spoke in a cold monotone as he processed Leap's words. He knew full well that they might not have much of a choice. "We will spare her if possible… did you see only one?"

Leap shook his head. "No… there was another."

Ruby gritted her teeth. "Crap! A scouting party?"

Littlefoot nodded. "Let's show them that this land is occupied… Thud, take your people to the west side, everyone else head east."

"And what of Path?!" Petrie's voice echoed from above, "Me see no intruders yet!"

Littlefoot sighed. "Have him scout the sleeping areas. If they are here then they will be found! Move out!"

"Sir, requesting permission to split off from the group. I'd like to find Violet and Tracker before something happens to them," Dodger requested.

"Spotter, where were they heading?" Littlefoot shouted in mid-sprint.

"East!" came the rapid response.

Littlefoot nodded as the others followed closely behind. "Looks like we are going the right direction! Just follow and hopefully we will find them!"

Dodger nodded in acquiescence but was still a bit bothered. Partially because they didn't want to be hopelessly spread out the pack wasn't moving as quickly as he knew he could on his own. _Please be alright, you two._

* * *

"Who was that, Tracker?!" Violet finally asked as her friend collapsed beside Ducky's sleeping areas. It was then that she realized just how agitated her friend was. "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not alright," Tracker admitted. By the time she slowed down enough to think she'd realized she'd made a huge error sounding the alert. At this point it almost seemed better just to keep running than admit that she apparently wasn't entirely right in the head.

Violet looked around her rapidly in fear that the intruder might still be in pursuit. "But who was that, Tracker? It… it was almost like you knew him."

"I did," Tracker muttered before walking away from her friend. _Why didn't I just tell her all this once I was sure her head wasn't messed up the first time? She's really not going to react well if I tell her now._

Violet moved closer to her friend, as if in a protective gesture. "Do you think he will go after us?" the fear was obvious in her voice and her scent. "Where… where are the others?"

"The pack's either looking for us or for him. Possibly both. You're going to be fine, Violet." _And I'm going to be asked to leave and never come back._

"How can you be sure?" Violet inquired, her fear deepening, "You said that you knew him and then ran… he must be dangerous. What if he hurts our friends? Or Dodger?" Her body began to shake at that thought.

"Violet, I overreacted. He's not nearly as dangerous as I made you think he is. Unlike you I'm pretty much scared of everything. Dodger will be fine. He's got plenty of friends with him."

Violet froze for a moment as she digested her words. "Who was he? Is he from… the times I don't remember?"

"Yes, and it's probably best if you don't remember it for now. I'll explain everything once this is taken care of if you don't want to just ask Haven first. She got me talking about it even when I was trying not to," Tracker said, "Actually, it might be better if you just talked to her." _She'll keep you from losing your head in front of everyone._

Violet felt a lump in her throat as her fear and uncertainty remained despite Tracker's words. Before she could speak, however, a familiar sound echoed in her ears.

"There they are!"

 _Honestly, I'd feel better seeing Leap right now,_ Tracker thought worriedly as the pack approached, _They're not going to be happy once everything is sorted out._

"You two alright?" Dodger asked when he reached his packmates. His question was directed at both of them, but his eyes were directed at Tracker. She seemed far too nervous for seeing friendlies.

"We're not hurt," Tracker answered, causing Dodger to frown. She wasn't lying, but it was obvious she wasn't telling him everything.

"Thank, goodness!" Littlefoot exclaimed as he skidded to where the two fastbiters rested. Instantly the others gathered around the two guests with their spears raised in a protective formation around them. It was only then that Littlefoot addressed them directly, "Girls, I need you to tell me what you saw, okay? We need to know what we are up against. Spotter hasn't found anything yet."

"It was an overreaction," Tracker said, sounding ashamed, "I saw someone and panicked." _Please don't make me explain everything. Please._

Littlefoot frowned at her response, and hesitated for a moment. "Well, if it was another fasbiter then that is something worth alerting us about. This is _our_ territory." He sighed. "Can you tell me who they were… or describe what they look like?"

Tracker snuck a glance over at Ducky. _Help!_

Ducky moved forward as Littlefoot was about to speak. "Let me handle this, please." The tone was not lost on Littlefoot as he edged away slightly but remained in ear-range. "We have to know what we are up against, Tracker, we do, we do…"

"It was a mistaken attack. It was someone both you and I know." _I hope she gets the hint._

Ducky took in a breath as the implications of Tracker's words registered in her mind. She needed confirmation, however, and mouthed out the word 'Leap?'

Tracker nodded in confirmation. _Would telling everyone everything keep me alive?_

Ducky grimaced and briefly considered the repercussions on everyone from this mistake. It was obvious why Tracker would react that way upon encountering someone from that dark portion of her life, but it was also obvious what such an admission of error would mean for Tracker. She had to find some way to mitigate the damage.

"Call off the alert, Seeker," she finally spoke as Tracker looked away in shame, "It is a false alert."

Littlefoot looked surprised. "Are you sure?"

Ducky nodded. "You know, we never told them what Thud's pack looked like, and we never told them about our new guests."

Ducky was uncertain about Littlefoot's reaction but was relieved a moment later when he gave the necessary call to give the all clear. It was only then that he spoke.

"It seems that Violet and Tracker did a better job at scouting than we did at explaining," he spoke with an apologetic tone, "Tracker, the fastbiters that you saw are our allies, Thud, Swift, and Leap. You have nothing to fear from them."

The others breathed sighs of relief as well as they dropped their spears to their sides. The only thing that mattered to them at the moment was that the 'threat' was over. An inconvenience was far better than an actual threat to life and limb.

"Well, I guess we had better show our new friends our old allies," Cera offered sarcastically, "Considering how poor we are at explaining things, perhaps we should just show them."

Taunt finally laughed, his relief evident. "Heck of a training session!"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Well, let's give the girls a chance to catch their breath... and us as well. It will be nice to talk to our friends again." As if on cue she sucked in a deep breath. "I am sure that you two will actually like them. They are among the nicest fastbiters you will ever meet."

 _Okay, this could actually end up worse than I imagined,_ Tracker thought, _Why does every time I try not to tell everyone about something, 'everyone' just gets bigger? I should've just kept running._ Not sure what to do, she kept her thoughts to herself. She wasn't looking forward to inevitably humiliating both herself and Leap.

Ducky hesitated before pulling away. She had been told about Tracker's past in Calin's pack, and could only assume what Leap was forced to do, but she had no confirmation. She also didn't want to out Tracker's darkest secrets in front of the others. Unsure of what to do, she mutely looked into Tracker's eyes. The unspoken words being obvious, 'Are you ready for this?'

'No, but what choice do I have?' was the unspoken reply.

Ducky looked down, but reluctantly pulled away. She did not envy her friend, but all she could do was to help her in the aftermath. For better or worse, a difficult reunion was about to take place.

* * *

Leap had never been as deeply relieved as he was in his walk towards the center of the pack territory. Littlefoot's call had meant that the crisis had been resolved without bloodshed, the best possible resolution. This meant that Tracker was still alive.

 _If anyone deserves to survive it is her._

"You alright, brother?"

Leap sucked in a breath. He understood the context of his sister's question.

"Yeah… I am just glad that she is alright. We took so much from her…"

"Calin took it from her, not you two," Thud's voice spoke resolutely, "You had no choice."

"There is always a choice…" Leap tried to protest.

"Without being murdered?" Thud glared at Leap.

Leap bowed his head. "No…"

"Then you had no choice," Thud replied sadly, "You two were victims as well. The important thing is that you two are alive to tell the tale, and so apparently is she. The best thing that we can do right now is help our allies, and explain to them the situation. We cannot change the past."

Leap reluctantly nodded at his pack leader's proclamation. He was right, of course.

"There they are!"

Leap looked up at Seeker's voice, making a smile of sorts with his tail. It was so good to see his friends after so long… but that was when he saw who else was waiting for him.

 _Oh shit._

He tried to suppress the rising taste of adrenaline in his throat as the other members of Littlefoot's pack moved into an open circle formation and bowed their heads in greeting. It was only out of instinct that he replied in kind. His mind was in a daze.

"It is nice to have all of you again!" Littlefoot greeted warmly, as it was custom for the leader to take care of the initial formalities, "What brings you back to our territory?"

Thud smiled with his tail. "The pleasure is all mine, Seeker. We have come to follow the herds, but if it does not offend you, may we stay for a time? We offer our services as a peace offering."

Littlefoot smiled with a bit of mischief in his eyes. "Couldn't find prey, eh?"

Thud rolled his eyes. "We have, but we have left it unattended due to… uh… the incident."

Leap gulped and didn't hear much of the banter for the next several moments. It was only when the formalities were over that his brain seemed to register his surroundings again.

"We would be glad to help you drag the offering, and we welcome your company." Littlefoot stomped his foot, which communicated that the formalities were over. Instantly the other members of his pack relaxed their postures from polite formality to friendly informality. "Speaking of company, I think that it is time that you meet three of our guests."

Thud snorted. "I think Leap has already met them."

Cera laughed. "Yeah, but now that they know Leap isn't some kind of monster, I think they will be more welcoming this time. We forgot to tell them what all of you look like."

Leap felt like something inside of him died. Cera's words cut deeper than she knew.

"Leap, Swift, and Thud, I would like you to meet Tracker, Violet, and their leader, Dodger. Dodger, Violet, and Tracker, here are our allies, Thud, Swift, and Leap."

Leap sucked in a breath as he bowed respectfully along with the rest of the pack. Tracker had already indicated what she thought of him. She ran. Ran in a blind panic. Despite his admiration of her survivor's spirit, he knew that she would never forgive him. Which was just as well; he would never forgive himself.

"I am pleased to meet your acquaintance and hope that civility can remain between us," Thud greeted Dodger, as the two exchanged respectful sniffs. Then Thud moved onto Violet as Swift greeted the pack leader; Leap knew it would be his turn soon. He could not be inhospitable here.

"Greetings, Leap," Dodger greeted plainly. His scent communicated neutrality.

Leap swallowed. "Greetings, sir." He bowed a bit more deeply than required. "I hope that we can be friends."

Appearing satisfied by his answer, but having a bit of curiosity in his eyes, Dodger moved aside so that the next pack member could greet him. He could only assume that his frightened and anguished scent was obvious to everyone.

"Hi," Violet said in as friendly as manner as she could, approaching Leap, "Did you get lost chasing us? We didn't make any big turns."

Leap momentarily froze at Violet's words, being unsure about how to respond to that. Was it a thinly-veiled insult or an attempt at humor? In any case his jumbled mind had difficulty processing anything besides the difficult greeting that awaited him next.

"A pleasure to meet you," he answered simply. He did not notice Dodger quickly ushering Violet away. All of his focus was on the green fastbiter that was slowly shuffling towards him. It was a face that he had never expected to see again before their improbable meeting earlier that day. His heart raced and he stopped breathing as he awaited her words. The words that he was sure would cut him in two.

"I'm glad the false alert didn't get you hurt," Tracker said after a long pause. There were plenty of things she wanted to say, very few of which wouldn't draw curious ears and probing questions.

Leap closed his eyes and bowed his head at her greeting. Despite her intentions he interpreted it as a lukewarm greeting. An indication of her deep contempt. Her agitated scent only confirmed his perspective in his mind. Despite his initial intentions, he felt the despair in his chest grow. He had helped to hurt a beautiful child along with his other packmates. As a consequence he let his rational mind let go and let his instincts take over.

With a swift movement he kneeled so low that his face touched the ground in front of her sickle claws. In a gesture that communicated outright submission, he answered her greeting.

"I don't deserve any kindness from you, but I hope one day you can forgive me."

Dodger stared, more than a bit disturbed. Violet was just confused. She resolved she was going to corner Ducky until she got all of her answers since cornering Tracker would not be taken well on several levels, pack rankings especially.

Tracker did her best to haul Leap upright, a bit embarrassed. _Oh. How badly has he been beating himself up over this?_ "I already have," she whispered in Leap's ear before pulling back well out of touching distance before anyone else started staring.

Littlefoot stared at the display that he had just seen with extreme concern. Never before had he seen one of his allies react in such a way. He knew in that moment that there was some piece of the puzzle that he was missing, and he resolved to eventually find out what that was. But for now he had to maintain decorum and spare his guests any further discomfort.

"Well, it is an honor to have all of you meet one another," He could tell that none of his packmates were listening at the moment after the display they had just seen, but he continued nonetheless, "My pack will assist in moving the peace offering…"

A thought just hit him at that moment. Tracker knew the person that she saw, and Leap apologized using the most extreme gesture possible. _But since when did Leap ever hurt anyone… oh… oh…_

Littlefoot blinked. He knew that he had to prevent a bloodbath.

"...on second thought, Dodger? Could you help us as well… and Haven…"

Ducky looked up in surprise.

"...perhaps you can stay here with me. We need to discuss some things with our allies."

Dodger glanced at Tracker, who jerked her head away from the pack, indicating he should go. "Yes, sir," Dodger finally replied and followed most of Littlefoot's pack away.

* * *

Littlefoot sighed as the rest of the pack left. It was only in the absence of Chomper and the others that the facade began to break down and Tracker allowed herself to be supported by Ducky. Meanwhile, Leap finally allowed himself to collapse in shame. His sister tried to comfort him as Thud stood in front of him, as if to offer him some privacy.

Violet, afraid she might say something to upset Tracker further, stood to one side completely unsure what to do with herself.

"Alright. I can only assume what is going on," Littlefoot spoke with an exhausted voice, "...and I know that we all have experienced hard times in the past, but as leader of my pack I need to know things that threaten its stability."

He looked up at Ducky, who had a resigned look upon her face. "Now someone tell me what in the name of sanity is going on."

Though not exactly directed at her, Violet cringed at both the words and Littlefoot's tone. She was starting to wish she'd followed Dodger.

"I'm not sure where to begin," Tracker said, now embarrassed to the point that having this conversation with Leap alone would have been easier.

"I hurt her…" Leap spoke in something halfway between a whisper and a moan, "...when I was in Calin's pack I was forced to hurt her to show that I wasn't weak." He bowed his head in shame, being unable to go on.

Violet stood still, confused and angry. She didn't know what to do.

Ducky whispered softly in her friend's ear, "Do you want me to speak, Tracker?"

"It might be best," Tracker whispered back, "Can you try to protect Leap a bit? He feels bad enough as it is."

Ducky nodded sadly as she gestured for Swift and Thud to take Leap some distance away. She only began to speak once they had brought some distance between themselves and Tracker.

"Tracker already told me this in confidence, but she was captured by Calin's pack at the same time Leap and Swift were in it. At that time Redclaw did not want their numbers to be lowered by in-fighting, so he wanted his packmates to be made hard through being harsh with one another." Ducky swallowed; she was speaking much faster than she usually did. The story was just too horrible for her to dwell on it. "Tracker was young back then and by far the weakest so Calin…"

"Enough." Ducky nearly jumped at Littlefoot's words. "I don't need to be told what exactly happened. I have heard enough."

He bowed his head as he approached Tracker. "My friends have lost so much from that damn fiend… Thud lost a brother… Taunt and Breeze lost their pack… I lost my grandparents… Spotter lost a sister… and we all lost our innocence." He carefully placed a claw on her shoulder. "Is there anything I can do to help, Tracker? I am sorry that this had to be aired so publicly."

"Could you talk to Leap?" Tracker asked. There really wasn't anything that could be done for her that hadn't already been done, but maybe there was a way to help Leap. She hated causing someone else pain, even indirectly. "It seems that he can't understand that I _don't_ hate him. I forgave him."

Littlefoot nodded. "I think he needs time, but I will talk to him." However, it was then that Violet's angry scent reached his snout. "But I think that you might need to talk to someone as well."

"Haven, get ready to tackle Violet, just in case," Tracker whispered, having caught the same scent as Littlefoot.

* * *

"Damn, this thing is heavy!" Chomper roared with some exertion, "Why didn't Seeker have Thud and his pack haul this monster!"

Taunt smiled jocularly. "Maybe he thought that Mr. Purple Ass needed some exercise!"

Chomper growled. "Perhaps I should go on a diet and only eat annoying fastbiters!"

Cera laughed at her mate's antics as she helped push the massive swimmer. She then spoke in a hushed tone so that Dodger wouldn't hear, "All joking aside, what is going on between Tracker and Leap?"

Breeze shrugged before whispering back, "I know, it is odd, isn't it? I have never seen someone actually use that gesture. He was acting almost like a scorned lover."

"You do realize I can hear you, right?" Dodger asked from the other side of the swimmer.

Taunt looked at his mate with an amused expression, as both Cera and Breeze squirmed in embarrassment. It was Ruby who finally spoke, however.

"Dodger, do you have any idea what that was about?" She moved over to the side of the swimmer where Dodger was as the others shifted within hearing range as well. "I am concerned about the both of them. I have never seen Leap act that way."

"I'm not really sure," Dodger replied, "If I'm putting everything together correctly I think they may have met before." _I'll let you guys put the rest of what I was thinking together. What do you guys know about Leap that I might not?_

"It is very odd," Taunt acknowledged, suddenly being devoid of all humor, "It was like he was apologizing for hurting her or something."

"Yeah," Spike offered, "But I haven't seen Leap hurt anything but prey. He is about as gentle as Path was when he was a much smaller purple ass."

"Hey!" Chomper growled before muttering something about 'insolent ankle biters'. This did not stop him from offering his thoughts, however.

"Well… he and Swift were part of Calin's pack long ago..."

Dodger closed his eyes and started counting. _He's an ally of Seeker's so I can't kill him. Can't forget that_ , he thought after reaching twenty. If he'd followed his first inclination he'd have left the others behind and torn Leap into pieces so mutilated that no one would recognize the pieces as a fastbiter, never mind Leap.

Ruby blinked. "Say, Dodger, didn't you mention having encountered Calin's pack once? Did you see Leap and Swift then?"

"No. If I saw them they wouldn't be here now," Dodger replied rather coldly. _If I saw them then that would mean they were dangerously close to or attacking Violet. Two of their former packmates died for that._

Cera spoke, not seeing Dodger's demeanor, "Yeah, we didn't react very kindly to them at first, but they lost so much in trying to find us."

Taunt nodded. "Yeah, if they hadn't told us about Redclaw's plans then he would still be ruling the Mysterious Beyond right now. Their brother paid the price for their escape."

"How long ago was that?" Dodger asked, trying to figure something out.

"It was Cold Time before Battle for Valley!" Petrie affirmed, "Me remember that time. Horrible time."

"It wasn't too much before that my pack got attacked... " Dodger said, thinking, "Tracker was missing for several days."

Chomper stopped, as everyone else stopped what they were doing. Finally Ruby spoke, "Are you saying that she… was captured by Calin's pack?"

Dodger kept his mouth shut, refusing to confirm Ruby's suspicion. He'd already said too much of a story that wasn't entirely his to tell. While ashamed for his own failures Dodger didn't want to embarrass Tracker.

At that exchange, the rest of the packmates walked around the swimmer and exchanged sympathetic expressions with Dodger. They knew full well from Leap and Swift's stories, and the implied things that weren't spoken, what being captured by his pack entailed.

Petrie didn't say a word as he came to a conclusion of his own. _Me see why Seeker send us away. Dodger hearing whatever Leap do would not be good for Leap!_

But unknown to him, Violet's reaction wouldn't be much better.

* * *

It took Violet a bit to fully grasp what happened to Tracker. When she finally put it together she proved that she and her brother were most definitely siblings. _You're not sorry enough, Leap. I'll fix that!_ With that she let out as shriek and rushed the larger fastbiter.

In an instant Thud lurched in front of the targetted fastbiter. He did not have to defend his comrade, however, as Littlefoot and Ducky both landed on Violet's back, with Littlefoot placing a claw against her throat.

"Don't make a murderer out of me, Violet," Littlefoot spoke in a frightening monotone, "Tracker doesn't want this."

"Stop, Violet!" Ducky screeched as Tracker echoed her sentiments.

"That's an order," Tracker added, intentionally pulling rank on her friend for the first time. Violet reluctantly stopped moving entirely.

 _Is there anything I can't screw up?_ Violet wondered, ashamed of herself.

Littlefoot maintained his position on top of the smaller fastbiter. "If I let you go, will you go to Tracker and leave Leap alone?"

Violet nodded as much as she dared with the claw at her throat, now extremely frightened.

Seemingly satisfied, Littlefoot allowed himself to rise to his feet again. He did not look back at Violet as he walked towards Leap. He had a conversation to make.

"Leap… I think we should have a talk."

* * *

 _How can Tracker be so calm? I am furious! How can they do that to my friend?! A thousand deaths is too good for those bastards!_

Violet continued to fume as she looked away from Tracker's concerned form. She couldn't bear to look at her and think of what horrors she had experienced.

"Violet," Tracker said. No response. "Violet, look at me."

With great reluctance Violet finally moved her eyes onto Tracker's face. The lingering rage and agitation was obvious on all of her features.

Realizing the tone that she'd have to take, Tracker reluctantly hardened her own features and prepared for what probably wouldn't be a very civil conversation. _I'm starting to feel like a parent. Maybe I should talk to Thud about what that's like._

"What were you _thinking_?" Tracker demanded, shifting so that it would be easy to stand up.

Violet sucked in a breath. "I wasn't," she finally admitted.

"So you decided to reject _my_ decision on how to handle things and take matters into your own hands on a _whim_? You think you can ignore my lead when Dodger's not around to see?" Tracker didn't want to belabor the point too much, but Violet's literally blindly rushing into things when angered was extremely dangerous for both herself and the pack as a whole. This had to end _now_.

"I…" Violet began, "I never knew that this happened to you. How am I supposed to act? How am I supposed to act when I hear that my best friend was hurt by a monster?" Her rage had been dissipated somewhat, but a coldness remained in her voice. She had never felt so enraged in her life.

"That monster is _dead_ , Violet. Calin is dead. Leap didn't do anything to hurt me of his own volition. One thing he did do was keep his mouth shut when I tried to escape. He probably thought that was a suicide at the time, but he didn't sound the alert that night like he was supposed to." Tracker stood up, too agitated to remain sitting. "There were those far worse than Leap that liked hurting me because it was _fun_! If we see them I'll gladly help you tear their throats out. Leap's been through enough and has apparently tortured himself enough. He doesn't need your help.

"As for how you are supposed to react, do what you've been doing your whole life. Watch Dodger. Watch me. If you really want to stay here, watch Haven. Do you want Prowler to have the last laugh? Do you want to act like him? Striking out at everything that angers you without caring who you hurt in the process? Fine, then. Go ahead. Just don't expect me to stand there and watch." Tracker finally stopped, still shaking in agitation.

Violet had never heard such a torrent of anger from Tracker before, and that was enough to horrify her. In the back of her mind she realized that her reaction was more than mere anger as Violet's response, but was an echo of the rage that she felt on those who tormented her seasons ago. Worse yet, the one person who had done all in his power to allow her to escape had been attacked by her. She had screwed up in a way that she had never screwed up before.

She bowed her head and lowered herself apologetically. She had no idea what she could say to spare Tracker any more pain. As a result she let her gesture speak for her.

"Violet, little sister," Tracker said, referencing the two's adoptive relationship verbally for the first time as she eased Violet's head back level to her own, "You've trusted me for many seasons to keep you from making social mistakes. Trust me now. I'm trying to keep you safe; Dodger's not the only one looking out for you. Let me handle this."

Violet nodded mutely at her friend's words. She had never outright said their relationship until now, but she didn't disagree. The maturity of Tracker was firmly on display here.

"I… forgot about all of this. About this horrible time in your life. What kind of horrible friend am I to forget that?" Violet replied sadly as she shook her head, "Why didn't you tell me? I… I don't know what I could have done, but I could have listened. Why did you suffer alone?"

"You hit your head on a rock hard enough to break the rock. I'm not quite sure what that says about the solidness of your skull," Tracker said in an attempt to lighten the conversation a bit, "but you had a headache after that that you still weren't over when Dodger found me. I'm surprised you remembered anything at all." Tracker took a steadying breath. "I didn't tell Dodger much because I was embarrassed. I didn't tell you anything because I didn't want you to suffer at all. Life was scary enough for you as it was. Would you have ever been able to go to sleep again knowing there is actually something that hurt me bad enough that within only a few days I was willing to risk dying to escape? As far as I knew you couldn't smell at all. How would you feel knowing that there might be something hunting you? I didn't want you living with that."

Violet continued to look down for a moment before opening her mouth to speak. However, despite having so much to say, she couldn't form the words. In the end she simply communicated her thoughts in the only way she could.

With obvious wetness in her eyes, she gave Tracker a nuzzle. Some messages could not be communicated in mere words.

 _She has a lot of trust in me to tell Violet to listen to me if she decides to stay,_ Ducky thought to herself contemplatively as the two females continued to share a moment, _but would she be happy staying without her friends?_

Ducky sighed. She realized that one way or another that things with Violet might begin to get a bit more complicated. But at the moment there were more pressing matters.

"Leap?" Ducky whispered as she gestured towards the nearby bushes. He quickly nodded as it was obvious that his chance to get into a safer position had presented itself. Within moments he was outside of earshot of the conversation, leaving Littlefoot, Ducky, Violet, and Tracker to continue uninterrupted.

Littlefoot merely preened his feathers nervously, as he was suddenly left without any idea how to proceed. The only thing that he could gather was that he should remain silent until the moment between the girls was over.

Now that things had finally calmed down Tracker realized, to her horror, that she and Violet had spoken extremely freely to each other in front of a group of other fastbiters, only one of whom she really trusted. _Okay, so how do I get out of this? I should've dragged Violet somewhere more private._ She gave her unintentional audience an apologetic look.

Ducky noted the look and gave Littlefoot a knowing expression. Upon seeing that he was doing his best to avoid adding to anyone's embarrassment, she decided to speak.

"So um…" Now it was her turn to shift uncomfortably. "...would you two like some time alone? Because if you do then we could leave, yep, yep, yep."

 _It's a bit late for that, Haven,_ Tracker thought. She looked around, noticing that Thud and Swift were still in the area, but there was no sign of Leap. "Where'd Leap go?"

Littlefoot looked in the direction where Leap had been directed earlier. "I think that he wanted to give you two some privacy."

"More like not wanting to give me a second chance," Violet muttered. Tracker shot her a disapproving look but said nothing.

Ducky shrugged. "We can bring him back if you want to talk to him… but um…" she struggled to find a civil way to tell them that further attacks on Leap would be frowned upon.

"Perhaps, Violet, you could sit over here…" Littlefoot gestured to a place beside Ducky and him.

"Okay," Violet said nervously before moving to where Littlefoot indicated. She made a point to sit so that Ducky was between herself and him, though. Littlefoot may have inadvertently cured her fear of two-footers by giving her something, or rather someone, else to be afraid of.

Thud sighed deeply as he gave Swift a look. She took the hint and asked the relevant question.

"Would you like me to bring my brother back?"

"Yes," Tracker said, keeping her voice steady. She was still a bit nervous at the idea of talking to him again. _What if I say something that hurts him more?_

Swift silently walked behind the bushes to where Leap had journeyed. Leaving the assembled dinosaurs in awkward silence for several moments.

 _Well, this is awkward,_ Tracker thought. She noticed Violet was trying to inconspicuously study Thud, 'trying' being the operative word. She absentmindedly remembered that Violet's father had not exactly been young when she hatched.

Littlefoot coughed awkwardly as he resisted the urge to preen his feathers again. _This is certainly not something Dein taught me back when I was being trained._ He then suppressed a cringe as he considered how Dein would handle such a situation. _On second thought, that is probably a good thing._

Before he could explore such thoughts any longer, the tell-tale sound of footsteps could be heard. Within moments Swift and Leap's distinct forms appeared from behind the foliage. Leap remained silent, however, obviously waiting to be addressed. He did not move more than five footsteps beyond the bushes; his hesitancy was obvious.

Tracker tried to think of something encouraging to say, but her mind wasn't working. _This was a bad idea, but it's too late to back out now._

Leap looked down awkwardly, being too uncomfortable to look at her directly.

"You… inspired the rest of my family to leave the pack, you know…" he began awkwardly, being aware that she was not aware at the time she was in the pack that Swift and he were siblings, "You showed that escape was possible. And we… we didn't want to do what we were made to do anymore…"

"So you didn't think it was a suicide?" Tracker asked carefully. She'd been under the impression that Calin and his pack had thought her dead. It was hard for her to imagine that she would not have been hunted down and killed, if she were lucky, had anyone thought otherwise.

Leap took in a deep breath. "My brother… who is not here anymore… he was one of those who were sent to look for you. Calin… offered whoever found you the honor of disposing of you however they saw fit. He saw where you had jumped from the cliff and saw where you had dragged yourself away. But he didn't want to add to your suffering," he hesitated before continuing, "He covered up the footprints you made in the sand and claimed that something must have dragged your body away… there were bellydraggers in the area. We were in a hurry to get to where the Hidden Runners were so Calin took his word for it."

"I wouldn't have gotten far," Tracker said, remembering the ordeal, "I messed my arm up really badly. Dodger helped fix it. That _hurt_." _I'm lucky I didn't meet any bellydraggers. By the time Dodger found me I could barely walk._

Leap grew silent for several moments before speaking, "The pack… did not leave you in good shape."

Tracker shot Violet a warning glance. She needn't have bothered. Violet just looked ill at what she was hearing.

It took Tracker a moment to recall Leap's brother, Verok, from the song. "I wish I could thank Verok for stopping the pursuit," she said, "Seeker and the others sung about what you did during your escape."

Leap suppressed the urge to bow his head. "He… he was just glad that you had escaped. So many others in that pack never had the chance."

"Far too many…" Ducky shook her head as the thoughts of previous encounters with the remnants of Calin's pack came to mind. The damage that the monster caused did not end with his death.

"I could never understand why so many didn't just leave as a group or at least all at once," Tracker said. She paused, reconsidering what she had just said. "No, that's a lie. I understand fear."

"It was worse than that, I'm afraid," Swift finally spoke, "You were only there a few days… though that was more than enough… but you did not know who to trust. If anyone tried to make a group then there certainly would have been at least one informant which would have told Calin. Then there were the flyers… always watching… the only reason that my brothers and I could flee was because we knew we were trustworthy."

"We… debated telling some of the others that were being treated like you were… but we decided against it." Leap added in a low voice. " If anyone would have turned another in then they would have gained in rank… and who would want higher rank more than someone being used like that? If they thought that we were going to fail, then they would have been tempted to go for a more certain reprieve from what happened to them... we… we decided to leave them behind."

Swift bowed her head as well. "I still regret that."

Leap sighed, "So do I."

Tracker looked down, trying to figure out what to say next. She could understand their reasoning quite well. She'd been there only a few days and had been desperate for a reprieve. That was why she'd tried such a dangerous escape. If she made a mistake, she'd have been killed instantly. "If I were still there, it probably would have been best to leave me behind, too," Tracker finally said, "I'd have just slowed you down. I'm not very fast." _I wouldn't have betrayed them, though. The isolation I was going through was killing me. Just knowing I had a friend somewhere would have been enough._

Littlefoot took this as an opportunity to speak, "We actually talked to one of the survivors of the pack nearly a year ago, and she gave us some idea of what happened to those who were suspected of betrayal," he shivered, "Kerwat… do you remember him?"

Leap nodded. "I do… he didn't make much of an impression one way or another."

Tracker tried to remember the fastbiter but failed. She really only remembered the ones that had distinguished themselves by their actions, either good or bad. _I wonder if it would disturb Leap to know just how much "I'm sorry" meant at the time._

Littlefoot sighed, "Apparently Redclaw had made a cruel pact with Calin, such that he mentioned that he had a debilitating disability but also gave him his protection, so Calin became unstable…"

Swift nodded. "Yeah… unstable doesn't quite do the bastard justice."

Littlefoot continued, "Well, Kerwat was one of those who were tasked with finding you guys," he looked at Leap and Swift as he said this, "...and Calin discovered him near your brother's body and assumed that Kerwat had killed him to silence him…"

Leap cringed. "Oh no…"

Littlefoot looked ill, "Calin had the others hold him down, while he began to cut Kerwat up slowly, starting with his eyes… and going from there. He made sure that everyone in the pack heard his cries and saw what was left before he had Reclaw eat him. There were no further escape attempts after that."

Tracker suddenly felt very cold. A glance over at Violet showed that her friend was on the verge of being sick and was almost definitely going to be having nightmares after this. _Thank you, Seeker,_ Tracker thought sarcastically. She'd die before she said that out loud, though.

Littlefoot looked at Swift and Leap with a sympathetic expression. "You did the best that you two could do. You were stuck in a horrible situation, and had to do horrible things. That does not mean that either of you should continue to torture yourselves over what cannot be changed." He then looked at Tracker intensely. "That goes for everyone who had to deal with that monster."

Tracker looked away, at a loss for words and feeling a bit intimidated. Whether he meant to or not, Littlefoot was quite good at being intimidating. Tracker was pretty sure she couldn't scare a hatchling.

* * *

"What do you think that they are all talking about?"

Taunt shrugged at the question from the massive sharptooth. He couldn't deny that his curiosity had been awakened, but even he knew that this was probably something that they were not meant to hear.

"I think that they don't want us to know," Taunt admitted, "They seem to be upset, though."

Cera stepped forward as she tried to get a better vantage point. _I hope that they are alright…_

Considering who was there and who wasn't, Dodger had a pretty good idea what Littlefoot and the others were talking about. _Tracker looks alright. Violet doesn't._ That wasn't really an indicator of anything. Violet was almost incapable of hiding anything even without her scent giving her away; that never stopped her from trying, though. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Taunt's right. I don't think we're supposed to know."

Taunt's momentary strut was cut off by a sharp bite to his tail by his mate.

"Hmmm… well if we are not supposed to know, then I suppose that we won't know," Ruby offered, "I wonder what history Tracker has with Thud's pack…" she mumbled under her breath, but it was loud enough for Dodger to barely hear.

"Nothing she told me," Dodger said after walking to stand beside Ruby, "Nothing she told me." The repeat came across as more a sigh than a sentence.

* * *

 _Is Seeker considering expanding his pack?_ Thud glanced at the still agitated Violet in a much less conspicuous manner than she had examined him earlier. _I have no doubt that she could be trained well here… but they would have quite a few extra females._ He wrinkled his snout at that thought. It was not uncommon for some packs to have one male mated to multiple females, or vice versa, but not for sharpteeth of their kind. He had strong doubts that Ruby would permit Littlefoot to do such a thing in any case, and he knew that Taunt would not be stupid enough to try.

 _So… would she only stay here for a while until she entered her time of mating… or would Seeker try to recruit another male member? His pack is already huge._

"So… um… is there anything that we can do to help?" he asked Tracker almost helplessly. He had to admit that he was hopelessly lost with how to address the crimes of the past.

"Just try not to say anything to Dodger. I'm not really sure how he'll react. He nearly tore our former pack leader apart for kicking me." _Maybe I should explain…_ "I was hurt at the time. A hunt against a threehorn went wrong, and I got hurt. Prowler blamed me. A few insults and injuries to me later and Dodger was actually trying to kill him. Prowler's about Finder's size."

Thud put the pieces together. "I take it that he is your mate?"

Tracker just nodded. She didn't bother to hold back a slight smile.

Thud looked at Leap. "Well… in that case I agree that we should not mention this while my pack is here… but Tracker?"

"Yes?"

Thud raised his tail slightly in the equivalent of a kind smile. "You really should tell him at some point. He certainly loves you, and this isn't something that you should deal with alone."

"Yes, Tracker," Ducky spoke, "I am sure that he will help you just like we have helped you. We are your friends, and we are here to help."

"I told him a bit when he found me and most of it a few days ago. I just left Leap out of it," Tracker admitted, "That didn't seem like something anyone needed to know. I didn't mean to even tell Haven anything. It just slipped out."

Ducky stepped forward and offered her feathered arm to Tracker. "As hard as it is for you, I am glad that you talked about it, I am, I am." She paused for a moment. "You were obviously sad and distant, and that is not how anyone should be, nope, nope, nope."

"Honestly I still can't figure out what Dodger sees in me," Tracker said, "I'm not really good at anything except finding stuff. Even when I first joined the pack the very fact I was there nearly started a fight. But he's always stuck by me, even listened the first time I told him he was being too hard on Violet." Tracker paused, realizing she was rambling. "I guess I don't know why he wants to stick with me of all people."

"Don't say that, Tracker!" Violet rose from her position, which made Littlefoot shift uncomfortably, "If you don't know what Dodger sees in you then you must be blind. You are calm, cautious, and respectful… everything that I am not. I can't even smell well."

Ducky looked at Littlefoot knowingly. _Both of them have a lot to work through._

"For someone that spent most of her life not being able to tell scents apart at all, Violet, you've managed to make friends quite easily. Most of the pack here likes you. The rest at least don't have a negative opinion of you." She subtly glanced at Littlefoot, checking his reaction. "The only friend I've really got here is Haven. The rest barely know me. I haven't exactly been that talkative."

"It is understandable why you were quiet, Tracker, I would hardly think that you would want to talk with the dinosaur who stabbed you with a poisoned stick," Ducky affirmed, "Now that we all know what you have been through, how can any of us judge you?"

Littlefoot nodded. "We are willing to be your friends, Tracker, if you are willing to be friendly with us. Dodger is not your mate out of pity; he simply knows when there is something in front of him that is too precious to let go."

Tracker opened her mouth to argue, to say there really wasn't anything special about her, but her tendency to defer to those senior in rank caused her to slam it shut. She had a whole lifetime telling her that such a course of action wasn't safe, so she kept quiet.

"You may speak," Littlefoot spoke softly, the expression on Tracker's face indicating to him what was going on mentally, "My friends can always speak freely to me."

"I just don't want to make a mess of things. I've only been on a few hunts in my life. I can't fight; just ask Finder," Tracker said. She glanced over at Leap. "I still get nightmares sometimes," she added softly. _With all that against me, how am I supposed to be a good parent? Dodger knows more about how to be a mom_ and _a dad than I know about being a mom._ Tracker wasn't sure if she wanted to tell everyone that last thought.

"You have barely had the chance to fight… let alone to act like adults," Littlefoot spoke with a compassionate voice, "You all did the best that you could but with what we are teaching you, you should be better prepared for the future."

Ducky nodded, "And sometimes running is the best option. What exactly did my brother say to you when you were caught?"

"He wanted to know who I was and why I was there. I stuttered, not really answering. I tried to back away. He told me that without a peace offering I wasn't welcome here," Tracker said, "He was advancing towards me and was apparently glad I was scared. That's when Dodger moved in. I don't know if he was planning to attack or just give Finder a reason to back off, but I accidently gave him away. That's when the fight started." Tracker looked down, embarrassed.

"I tried to help, but I ended up on my back so quickly I don't think I actually did anything. If I'd been there by myself I would've just surrendered." She shuddered at the thought of the last time she'd done _that_. "Finder told me to yield or die, apparently forgetting about Dodger. Dodger drove him back. I hid behind Dodger. Then Dodger told me to run. You were there for the rest."

"Considering what happened to you the last time you surrendered, anyone can understand why you behaved how you did," Littlefoot nearly cringed when he realized his bluntness, "We thought that it was an attack, so we didn't give you much of a choice."

"I wasn't much of a help. Had I not been so stupid and gotten so close that fight would've never happened." Tracker was still bothered that she'd much such a simple mistake. "Stupid stick."

"Finder said that he nearly ran into you. Why do you keep on blaming yourself?" Ducky asked softly, "If we cannot let go of the past then how can we accept the present?"

"My present hasn't exactly been very nice, Haven. Calin aside, there's a pretty big difference between my pack and yours. Yours is so big nothing wants to bother you. Once Path is completely grown up nothing will bother you. Mine was made up of four kids led by someone with the ego the size of a mountain. I've got no skills; Violet couldn't smell. The only reason we're alive is that Dodger can out-stubborn a threehorn."

"We used to be a bunch of leaf-eaters who had just turned into sharpteeth, and had no idea what we were doing. We even got to be chased by him for a while!" Littlefoot pointed at Thud for emphasis, "But yet we made it out in one piece because we stuck together and we were able to be trained. You have already stuck together and survived through so much, and now you have the chance to be trained by us. You are not as helpless as you think."

Ducky grasped Tracker's shoulder. "You cannot defeat your enemies if you let your own thoughts defeat you. Believe in yourself, Tracker, we believe in you."

"It can't hurt to try," Tracker said, "Just don't ask me to spar Finder. That _would_ hurt."

Neither Littlefoot nor Ducky spoke for several moments as they allowed Tracker's own words to sink in for the two females of the other pack. What they needed more than anything else was a boost in confidence. Finally, though, Littlefoot looked in the direction of the rest of the pack and decided it was time to draw the moment to a close.

"Hmmm… I see a giant purple two-footer squirming around so that he doesn't think I noticed him… and several fastbiters who are conveniently looking in every other direction but ours."

In truth Littlefoot was underplaying the reaction from the pack, Chomper was trying to look away towards the distant hills, but he stood out like a bright purple mountain trying to eavesdrop on a distant conversation.

"Do you think they heard anything?" Tracker asked, unable to hide her panic. _They're never going to stop talking about me while I'm here if…_

"No, I am sure that he heard nothing," Littlefoot responding confidently, "They know that what we are discussing was meant to be private. That is why they stayed back."

Tracker made no attempt to hide her sigh of relief. She really didn't want to become a topic of conversation.

"Well… Perhaps we should rejoin the rest of the pack," Thud offered awkwardly, "The swimmer awaits us, and I would imagine that some of us are hungry…"

* * *

 **Great Valley, the present**

"Where is that flyer?"

Axiom nudged her brother as she shook her head. "Brother, I am sure the flyer will be here as soon as he can fly here. It isn't like he is going to fly over there until the morning anyway."

Datum sighed as he picked up his stick and examined his previous handiwork. "We are never going to make a fire at this rate." He cringed as pain registered in his mind upon clutching the stick. "Damn it!"

Axiom nearly bowled over her brother as she slapped vines onto his chest, "That is why Mommy and Daddy wanted us to use these, silly! Your hands are going to be all blistered…"

"They already are…"

"See what I mean?!"

Axiom shook her head as she placed the vines around her hands and then, with a firm grip, began to twist the stick back and forth against the small hole in the log. _If Mommy and Daddy can make a spark like this then so can I!_ She then heard her brother resuming his task, this time with the proper protection for his hands. _And I will beat my brother to making fire!_

"Looks like an odd game."

Axiom nearly threw the stick as the voice of the young flyer reached her ears. _Oh no… this is not for the valley's eyes..._

"Um… we are just trying out a new way to make sharp sticks… it's kind of a game." Datum lied awkwardly.

The flyer gave Datum an extremely disbelieving look, or at least as much of one as a flyer can manage. "So how does this game work?" he asked neutrally.

Axiom's breath caught in her throat, "Well… we um… we make a hole and then we put a sharp rock into it," the flyer noticed that she was trying to obstruct his view of the hole in the wood, "and then we twist the stick back and forth.. Whoever gets a sharp stick first wins."

"Sounds like your parents were just trying to keep you busy," the flyer said, dismissively.

Datum rolled his eyes as he unconsciously slipped into more proper speech, "They are currently conducting a study of threehorn digestive ailments. I hope that they continue to keep us busy until that is over."

"Why would they want to do that? That doesn't seem safe."

Axiom looked around uneasily. "It is safe when the threehorn is away. They're checking their, you know… relieving spots."

Datum coughed. "So, um, thanks again for coming out here. Are you ready to take our message?"

"Ready when you are," the flyer answered.

It was quite noticeable to the flyer that both youngling rainbowfaces looked immensely relieved upon receiving that affirmation. Though as he received their message for their fastbiter friend he paid careful attention to the now visible holes in the log by the site of their 'pointed stick game'.

He smiled. Even if the rainbowfaces wished to keep their secrets, he knew someone who might be smart enough to solve them. And since his friend, Biter, was the recipient of the message it would not be a violation of the flyer's vow. After all, was not the conveyance of a sender's intentions and emotions part of his job?

 _You like puzzles as much as I do, Biter. I wonder what you make of this._

* * *

 **Thanks for the reviews, everyone! I look forward to your thoughts on the latest installment.**

 **As we have seen in this chapter, fastbiters may handle certain things in a different way than humans, but that doesn't mean that they do not feel trauma in the same way. If anything else I hope that this chapter has brought home the double-sided nature of the trauma of war. When innocents are forced to do atrocities due to a terrible situation, it victimizes both the victim and the victimizer. The repercussions of the horrors of the past will continue to reverberate for quite some time.**

 **As for the present, we will just have to wait and see if Biter can piece together the puzzle that is about to be laid before him. And though Nahoda has survived Mender we will just how to see if he survives his talk with Detras. (-; And if Arial can solve the puzzle that is her emotions at the moment.  
**

 **DevoutRelic** : There were some small hints at Mender's lack of smell, but nothing too overt. Her disability in the fastbiter world is something that would be seen as severe as being born blind in a pre-industrial warrior culture. The fact that Seeker's pack was willing to be accepting and help upon hearing about her problems is something that would seen as exceptionally kind in most other packs. This might play a role in the future.

As for the alliance this is something that will be slowly be revealed as the story goes along. For now, let's just say that all of the changes that have happened since the Stone of Cold Fire have lead to some interesting arrangements.

 **bryan mccloud** : Yep! Even the pack leader must be fearful of a mate who has been crossed. (-; The bad thing about Ruby scolding you is that you always get scolded twice. d-;

 **gordhanx** : Thank you for the review. And yeah... the disclaimer was mainly out of an excess of caution, but though the subject of rape was brought up in a very tangential fashion in the Seven Hunters, I do realize that it can be a difficult subject for many. As we have seen in this chapter fastbiters can handle the matter in a different way than humans, but that doesn't mean that it was no less traumatic. Thansk for the review, and I look forward to your thoughts on the latest chapter. (:


	10. Chapter 9: Conflicts, civil and other P1

**-v-**

 **Chapter 9: Conflicts, civil and otherwise (part 1)**

" _ **The mating ritual of fastrunners is a most curious subject, and, like the rituals of most species, is not a matter readily known to outsiders. However the male's method of persuasion is probably one that the residents of the Mysterious Beyond would easily guess. In a species known for its speed and agility, the mating ritual does indeed involve a chase. As the females tend to be faster than the males, a catch of the female in this case indicates some interest from the female."**_

" _ **It is not known if the mating ritual can instead be initiated by the female, as is the case in several other species of this group, as our information is fragmentary on this matter. Although, as a chase from the female could be construed as either an invitation or threat, the significance of such a chase might not be immediately clear to the male."**_

 _ **Officer Chronos,**_

 _ **An introductory report on 'fastrunner' traditions**_

* * *

"So... if you don't mind us asking..."

Upon hearing Cynnil's words Orchid stopped the pretense of being interested in the snapping shell that he had caught. Part of him had hoped that Mender's brief summary of a song was enough to take the focus off of what was going on with the fastrunner family, but the tone of the hidden runner's voice confirmed that the matter was not closed.

 _Here we go..._

"How did this whole thing even happen? Why didn't we chase him off for good? Why did my sister save him?" Orchid replied with a sigh, anticipating their questions, "Which question were you going to ask?"

Cynnil tilted her head with some amusement at the fastrunner before Buse cheekily answered for them.

"Yes."

Orchid snorted in amusement despite his deep misgivings about the situation. "Well, it's a long story... he started as a nuisance, and then kind of a welcome nuisance, and then my dad tried to kill him..."

"That's quite an escalation!" Mender exclaimed as Orchid trailed off. It was then that the fastrunner noticed some embarrassment on the fastbiter's features. "I saw him entering the territory so we..."

"Decided to remove the threat." _...and get a meal..._ Orchid finished, "I know... I know... and I'm sure Dad wouldn't have minded, but well... he doesn't know the full story..." He looked nervously in the direction where Nahoda and his father had been walking.

"A story that you are involved in based upon your reaction. What do you think will happen when he learns the full story?" Cynnil asked carefully.

Orchid clicked his beak nervously. It was obvious that he didn't know. It was then that he noticed Mender's gaze appear to stare into his eyes.

 _Untold stories and unresolved conflicts... I can certainly relate to that, Orchid,_ Mender thought to herself. _Perhaps you will be more willing to tell us what is going on if we show you the same courtesy?_

"Perhaps a song might be in order?" Mender offered hesitantly, "A song for a song. I will sing to you about another time when mistakes nearly led to bloodshed, and then you can sing to us about why you look like that you are fearing bloodshed right now. Deal?"

Orchid laughed at the fastbiter's offer. "It is not _my_ blood that I fear being shed... but that sounds like a good idea..."

Mender suppressed a smile. _Distract the anxious and then explain the problem. Why do I get the feeling that Staza would find this amusing?_

* * *

 **The past:**

" _Uh… Tracker?"_

 _Tracker slightly cringed when she heard the voice of Taunt behind her, but as she turned and saw the ashamed look on his face she immediately regretted her use of body language. The fastbiter obviously did not want to cause her any harm._

" _Are you…"_

 _Tracker watched with more than a little surprise as Taunt appeared to look lost all of a sudden. As if his normal wit had left him, and he had no idea where to go._

" _I mean… I am glad that you and Violet are alright. We were worried about both of you…" he hesitated for a moment, "Just remember that we are all here if you ever need help, alright?"_

 _Tracker merely nodded as she did not trust her own words at that moment. For his part Taunt quickly walked away, as if the entire situation was just as awkward for him as well. In his wake the scent of concern and confusion radiated from him, but it was mixed with another as well._

 _Pity. Taunt must have suspected the truth._

"Uh… Tracker?" Dodger began awkwardly as he carefully positioned himself into the scrape which served as his and Tracker's sleeping area, "Would you like to talk to me about… well… what happened today?"

Tracker sighed. She really didn't want to talk to anyone. Not about that. The day had been awkward enough as it was. Worse, it appeared that Taunt had figured out what happened to her, which meant the others might have as well. "I wish the day would just hurry up and be over." _Not that that will solve anything._ She sighed again."But I guess tomorrow won't be any better. What do you want to know?"

Dodger took notice of his mate's scent. The agitation that it conveyed was palpable. He had noticed that same scene on the night that the two formally became mates, but he had not compelled her to elaborate. Though the two were mates in formality, they had not mated in actuality, which for fastbiters was an important act. It was that act which aligned the instincts of mates to the mating bond. Now her reaction to Leap, her reluctance to solemnize their bond, and her new agitation were beginning to make him suspect the possible meaning of it all.

"Well…" _I guess I owe it to her to be direct._ "First… are you alright?"

"No. I'm not. Haven't been entirely alright for a long time actually." _If he really wants to know everything, I'll tell him. It's not like tonight can get worse if I don't keep any secrets._

Dodger froze for a moment. He had expected a deflection, but Tracker was surprisingly direct on this night. He could only assume that it was now because she couldn't run from the past anymore because the past had come back to meet her. Regardless of his own misgivings and insecurities, he decided that if she was finally ready to talk about what he suspected was causing her trouble then he would be strong for her sake. He would ask the necessary questions and be there for her in her time of need.

After all, was that not what mates did for one another?

"What happened, dear? What did Leap do?"

Tracker resisted the urge to groan. _That had to be the_ first _question?_ "I'll tell you, but first you've got to promise not to get mad." _I can't even stop Violet. How am I going to stop you if you decide tearing Leap apart is a good idea?_

Dodger took a deep breath as his claws ripped into the ground below him, "I can't promise away my emotions, Tracker… but I promise that I will control myself." His eyes then look directly into her eyes. "What happened?"

 _How do I explain this? Dodger has never really bought into 'I didn't have a choice' as a justification. Explanation, maybe. Justification, never._ "Do remember that day we got attacked? The one where Violet got her biggest head injury?"

Dodger nodded. "As much as I would like to, I will never be able to forget that day."

"Well, after you went to help Violet, I tried to sneak away. It didn't work." _Here's where it gets more problematic._ "As I told you a few days ago the pack that attacked us was Calin's. I surrendered." Tracker cringed at the memory of what followed. "He and his pack took full advantage of that."

Tracker had expected Dodger to get angry at what happened or at least say something. She had not expected an embrace, but she had no problem returning it. _Now if only I could stay like this all night…_ All too soon, though, the embrace was over and the less than pleasant topic of discussion was back.

"Tracker…" Dodger began, but it seemed that his voice had left him. He had no idea how to begin with what Tracker had just confirmed. "I… After you escaped from them and refused to tell me what happened I suspected…"

He shook his head as he bowed his head in shame. "I failed you."

"No. No, you didn't. We were in a bad situation, and Violet was already in trouble. If anyone failed it was me. You taught me more about hiding, sneaking, and evading than my parents did. Granted, they had quite a few kids, and then there's my half-siblings… I'm rambling again, aren't I?"

Despite her words, Dodger began to shake as he glared at the ground. His scent began to subtly change from sadness and regret to a rapidly rising anger. Anger at himself... anger at Calin... and anger at his packmates who did such things to his beloved.

"Dodger, calm down," Tracker said, cutting her mate off before he could speak, "If it hadn't been me it would've been someone else. It could've been Violet. I wasn't the only one that got hurt." She deliberately softened her tone. "Calin and quite a bit of his pack are dead anyway. Most of the pack just did as they were told so they'd live the next day." _Do not make me draw comparisons between you and Prowler. You've admitted that you didn't take him on due to fear. And to Seeker no less._

Dodger closed his eyes as he gritted his teeth in rage. He struggled to bring his breathing under control, "So Leap was one of those who used you." It wasn't spoken as a question. "But yet Seeker counts him amongst his allies?"

"Leap helped me get out of there and his brother covered up my tracks. I'd be dead without them," Tracker said angrily. _Why is this so much harder than the conversation I had with Violet? Oh, wait. That was a lecture._

Having never felt more defeated in his life, Dodger began to shake as he continued to bow his head in shame. A conflicting torrent of emotions filled him in that very moment. Even if Leap didn't really have a choice, and even if he had saved his mate, that didn't dissipate the rage that he felt in his heart. Leap may no longer have been the target of such rage, but that didn't mean that he could pretend that things were back to how they were before. When he finally did speak, he spoke in an icy rage.

"A thousand deaths are not enough for Calin!" he spat on the ground.

"You and Haven are agreed on that. Me, I'd rather try to forget all of it. Why let wreck the rest of my life? Why give him that power?" _Please, Dodger. Listen._

Dodger was silent for several moments. The anger that had radiated from him was now being overtaken with the bitter scent of defeat. It was a scent that Tracker had smelled often from herself and the others of the bottom rank in Calin's pack. She was about to speak again when Dodger finally sighed and spoke.

"Are… are you sure that…" He shook his head. "...you are alright with Leap being here? Even if he is blameless in all this…"

"Does it matter? It's not like anything can _reasonably_ be done about it. Change what you can, accept what you can't. You're the one that told that, remember?" Technically, that had been directed at Violet, but Dodger had expanded it into a full-blown lesson since both of the girls, still kids at the time, had been listening. Tracker had a feeling Violet never really learned that lesson, though.

Dodger remained silent as Tracker's words sank in. He could not deny that she was correct, but to accept something intellectually was entirely different from accepting it emotionally. He needed something else to forgive Leap for what had happened. He needed an emotional connection.

"How exactly did Leap save you?"

"He didn't do his job. He caught me trying to sneak off and let me go. Had anyone seen him, had anyone else caught me, he'd have died. Really badly. If you want to know what Calin did to someone that he only suspected of treachery, ask Violet. I'm pretty sure she'll end up with a nightmare about it tonight. She really shouldn't have been part of that conversation." _I really don't want to describe it. I'm just glad I didn't have to see it._

Dodger's expression softened somewhat. He had forgotten that his sister was part of Tracker's group as well. He knew that his mate's words were undoubtedly true.

"So… he risked being killed," Dodger stated mutely, "I know you don't want to talk about it, and I don't blame you, but how did Calin do these things? Why didn't the others rise up against him? Why didn't others do what Leap did?" he ignored the taste of adrenaline in his mouth as he mentioned Leap. It was hard to think of his actions as justified, but if it meant that he saved his mate's life then Dodger could reluctantly forgive.

But he would not forgive the monster that forced such monstrous actions upon his mate. He would never forgive Calin or those who enabled him.

"Same reason you never took on Prowler. Fear. Most of Calin's pack was made up of individuals, not family or friends. You never knew who you could trust. All it would take would be for one person to tell Calin. Then you'd be dead. Honestly, without Leap and Verok, I'd have lived longer staying where I was. I'd have never made it. Leap and Swift barely got away. Verok didn't make it."

"I remember Verok's tale in the Song of the Seven Hunters, "Dodger confirmed, "But… Calin allowed those three siblings into his pack? I thought you said that he only took in individuals."

"I think they split up before running into Calin's pack. Calin's idea of recruiting was to make a group fight its members until only one was left. No group, no fight. If most of the group was like me, well, they ended up getting torn apart so as not to waste time. It something I can't unsee."

Dodger placed a hand on his mate's shoulder as he looked at her with utter incomprehension. "He made families fight one another to the death? And you saw this?"

"No. Someone just told me about what normally happens. There was a group of four. Three were smaller and weak like me. One was more like you. They just killed the weaker three. A fight wasn't worth their time." Tracker fought back a wave of nausea. It had been a horrifying thing to witness.

"I'm so sorry, Tracker…" Dodger was having trouble comprehending the horror of such an event. Not only had his mate been violated, not only had she been threatened with death, but she had also seen the cold-blooded murder of three members of a family. The only thing that exceeded his astonishment was his sense of disgust. "I can't imagine… how… how did the survivor even cope? How… how would I…"

The question was left unstated, _How would I have reacted in that situation?_

"Why do you think I don't talk about stuff? The survivor, well, she didn't handle it well. I should have tried talking to her. Just having a friend would've helped me. She ran off the next day. They brought her back, surprisingly alive but in quite a bit of pain. Never heard a word from her. Never even learned her name. Rather than share her fate, assuming I wasn't killed in some horrible way, I tried something else." _Should I really say this?_ "It's why I jumped off the cliff. If I messed up, I'd die. If I didn't, everyone would think I was dead. Apparently I was wrong to assume such a thing, but that was the idea. Once I got back home, I tried to forget it ever happened." Home, for Tracker, was where her family was. Her pack was her family now.

Dodger embraced her again, deciding that the last thing that she needed right now was more words. However, after several moments, he finally did speak.

"You're home now, Tracker. You're home and safe." He could feel her shiver under his touch, though he could not tell if it was due to remembering her horrific story or due to his touch. After all the times that she had been touched intimately during her captivity…

Dodger pulled away suddenly. "I'm… I'm so sorry!" He edged back in order to give his mate some space. "I wasn't thinking."

Tracker pulled her mate back towards her. "I'm okay, Dodger. I know I'm safe."

Dodger relaxed slightly at her affirmation, but he still had lingering anger at himself for not considering the possibility of her being uncomfortable, "Alright… I just assumed that you didn't want to be touched in that way. That you weren't ready."

Tracker sighed. She really wasn't sure what to say. When her leg had still been healing she had been uncomfortable. The feeling of helplessness was too similar. "I think I'm okay now," she said glancing at her now mostly healed injury.

Dodger noticed her gesture, and immediately realized that she had both answered his question, but not at the same time.

"I will wait as long as you need, dear. I just don't want you to..think about any of this when we are together. There is supposed to be happiness between mates… I don't want Calin to have taken that from you."

"He hasn't," Tracker said, nuzzling her mate. _Maybe we can try tomorrow. Today has just been too much. My leg's better, and I trust Dodger, so I should be fine. If I'm not, maybe I can try Violet's way of handling unpleasant memories… Where am I going to find a hard enough rock around here?_

Dodger returned Tracker's gesture as he settled down beside her. "I am glad to hear that. He doesn't deserve to have that much power. He deserved the pitiful end that Seeker gave him." He took in a deep breath as he tried to force himself to calm down. He had no doubt that nightmares would greet them both on this night, but he resolved to be here for his beloved whenever those terrors of the night came. Despite the terrible truths that had been shared on this night, he knew that they would get through it together. And, though some part of his instincts still cried for his blood, he knew that Leap would get through the coming days as well. Despite the emotion of the moment, however, he couldn't resist asking one question with more than a little levity. In fact, he couldn't hold back a slightly amused snort as he asked it.

"Forgive me for asking, but how exactly did you keep Violet from murdering Leap?"

"Um, well, that didn't go so well…" _I nearly got your sister killed. How am I supposed to be a parent one day when I can't keep a friend that is older than me safe?_ Tracker looked down, embarrassed.

Dodger nodded, not seeing his mate's reaction as he was curled up against her. "Not to talk down about my sister, but that was to be expected, dear. This… is a situation where one would expect to freak out. You obviously were able to talk her down as Leap is still alive."

"Everyone else reacted faster than I did. Seeker and Haven managed to tackle her. I ended up lecturing her. I, um, forgot to take her somewhere more private," Tracker confessed.

Dodger sighed. "I will talk to her in the morning, unless…" He blinked as he pondered what he was considering. "Do you think that my sister would want to rest with us tonight? I think that she would want to be with family after all of this. I know that I do."

Tracker didn't reply. She just got up and walked over to Violet's sleeping area. It didn't take any convincing to get Violet to come back with her. _Maybe I should explain things to Haven. Violet certainly isn't._ Violet hadn't even noticed Tracker wasn't following her.

Ducky watched through one open eye the two fastbiters as they began to walk away. As Tracker turned around Ducky merely gave her a wink and a wave of her feathered arm. Remembering her time huddling with her swimmer family whenever they experienced loss, she could understand the need to be with family all too well. Tracker did not need to explain anything to her.

Tracker gave Ducky an apologetic smile before hurrying after Violet. She was glad the other fastbiter understood.

Despite Dodger's predictions, his pack made it through the night undisturbed by sleep stories of any kind. The unity of family allowed them to persevere despite the shadows of the specters of the past. Before any of them realized it, it was soon the next morning.

* * *

"I don't know what happened between them, but it seems like the rest of our packmates have vowed to keep it to themselves. I just hope that the three are okay."

"I am sure that they will be fine. You told them that we were there if they needed us, right?"

"Yeah… I did, though I didn't know what to say…"

"Ha! That's a change!"

"Shh… I think that I hear them coming…"

Violet and Tracker walked into view, Violet looking a bit irritated. "Have either of you seen Dodger? He left before I woke up." _And I can't find him because I can't smell him._

Taunt's expression took an odd twist as he turned towards his mate. Cera matched his gesture and quickly looked in the direction where the rest of the pack should be. "Uh… no. No we have not."

"Right here," Dodger said, stepping out from the bushes behind Taunt.

Taunt immediately jumped, which caused Cera to take shelter beside him as well. It only took them a moment to realize that the sudden 'threat' was Dodger himself. The look of embarrassment on both of their faces was priceless.

"Sorry," Dodger said. _Got some interesting information, though._

"He does that," Tracker said, as if it explained everything. Her mate's ability to effectively disappear was not something that was safe to underestimate.

Taunt shook his head at Dodger's antics, not being sure if he was honestly sorry or not. He couldn't help but feel some grudging respect for anyone who had bested him.

"That would come in handy during some of our hunts," Cera stated, as she tried to swallow her pride. Were she still a threehorn then she would have been more resistant in showing any acknowledgement of her being bested. "We… didn't even smell you."

Dodger gave her an odd look. _Does she really want an explanation about staying completely downwind or close to much stronger smells? We'd be here all day._ "That's the idea. I've had a lot of practice."

"Me have lot of practice too!"

"Not so loud, Spotter. I'm right here," Dodger complained, "Is there a reason you decided to fly closer? I could see and hear you just fine." _You aren't quite as sneaky as you think you are._

Petrie rolled his eyes. "Maybe you did, but they not!"

Tracker and Violet relaxed from their defensive positions. "You… you…" Violet sputtered. _And I thought Taunt was the only one I had to worry about._

"Bravo!" The sound of stomping feet could be heard as Seeker applauded in the fastbiter way as he emerged from some bushes with the rest of his pack. "That will not come in handy with sparring, but it is a nice skill to have when scouting."

"You want us to spar?" Dodger asked. He hadn't expected that. In his experience sparring was very dangerous.

Ruby noted Dodger's obvious reluctance and could detect his unstated question. "Sparring is dangerous without precautions, but we can teach you about that."

Ducky nodded. "This is not something that we would invite strangers to do, but we trust you, we do, we do. We always spar when Thud's pack is here."

Littlefoot smiled. "Allies who know how to fight can be very useful indeed. Did you ever wonder why Finder and Ponder had vines all over them when they chased all of you?"

"I thought it was odd, but I was more concerned with not dying. Finder is not easy to fight against," Dodger admitted.

Spike had the slightest hint of a grin on his face. "That comes with practice. _Seeker_ is not easy to fight against."

Littlefoot nodded. "And you should see Stern Claw and Taunt in a fight. They have beaten me quite a few times. Stern Claw is terrifying when she is mad."

"Hmrph!" Cera replied, "I am also terrifying when I am not mad."

Taunt rolled his eyes as she spoke under his breath, "You can say that again…"

Violet just nodded her head in agreement. Cera still made her a bit nervous for a variety of reasons, rank being chief among them.

Littlefoot noted the nervousness in Violet's expression, but said nothing. She would be given a more suitable opponent for her first bout. Dodger on the other hand…

"So, how are we supposed to spar safely?" Dodger asked, "I've never sparred at full speed with Violet or Tracker. It's too dangerous."

Littlefoot nodded. "Indeed it is. That is why we are first going to show you how to protect yourself with vines. We don't have all day to have you prepare your vines, but we can show you the basics after we eat some more of the swimmer… then we will see how well all of you do in a fight." His eyes gleamed with a mixture of curiosity and compassion. "And don't worry, we will start all of you out slowly. We don't want anyone getting seriously hurt."

"You're sure it's safe?" Tracker asked. Her face clearly communicating: _I don't need any more injuries._

Littlefoot nodded. "I am certain. We will set some special rules for your first fight. It takes a while to get used to fighting another of your kind." That was when he glanced at her leg. "How is your leg feeling?"

"It's fine," Tracker said, "It doesn't hurt anymore."

Littlefoot smiled with his tail as he turned towards Dodger with a knowing expression. "So, is your pack ready?" He nudged his head ever so slightly towards Tracker as he said this. It was clearly a way of asking how she was doing without embarrassing her in front of the pack.

"We're ready," Dodger said after a quick glance to and nod from Tracker.

Littlefoot sighed as he turned back towards his pack and Thud's pack. In particular his gaze fell upon Leap. _I know who we will not have Leap face…_

"Alright, everyone, eat up and get ready! We have a busy day ahead of us!"

* * *

 **Back to the present:**

 _Well... this is certainly more complicated than it was for Ruby... and that is certainly saying something._

Pearl watched her daughter with a mixture of exasperation and compassion. The existence of actual predators in their home had been a difficult adjustment, but one that they had grown to accept for the time being. The potential killing of one of their own kind on the other hand...

Sighing, Pearl gestured to the grass and invited her daughter to sit. She honestly had no idea where to begin. Luckily for her, Arial spoke without hesitation.

"Do you think Nahoda is okay? Daddy said he was going to get scaly swimmers, but..."

Pearl raised her hand before speaking in a calm voice, "Your father is many things, dear, but a cold-hearted killer he is not." She thought about it for a moment. "If we hear any screaming then he probably just told Mender to start chasing him again."

"Mom!"

Pearl smiled at her daughter's reaction. _Yep, someone is in love._

"I'm sure he is fine, dear. You have nothing to worry about." she cooed carefully, trying to put her daughter at ease, "Well, except for this conversation."

She sighed as her daughter's continence fell. Despite her offer to sit, her daughter was now pacing. A comforting activity for a nervous fastbiter. _One who is on their feet can run on a moment's beat._

Despite her daughter's nervousness, and her own, Pearl rested herself on the grass beside the stream. There was no need for her to be seen as a threat; her daughter was seeing enough phantom threats as it was.

"Nahoda ran towards us."

This made Arial break out of her inner thoughts for a moment as she looked towards her mother for elaboration.

"He ran towards our home," Pearl added carefully, "Which means that he sought safety here. He sought safety in the place where he had been chased out many times. An odd response, isn't it?" _Unless he felt welcomed despite our best efforts._

Arial shifted her weight between her two legs, a gesture that her mother could read from a mile away. "Well Nahoda can be an idiot sometimes. Just look at how many times we have had to chase him off for taking our scaly swimmers."

Pearl's eyes glistened with the hint of a smile. "And you know him well enough to call him an idiot?"

Arial's beak twitched. "Well Dad calls him an idiot."

Pearl countered, "I don't think that your father knows Nahoda the way that you do."

The response was immediate.

"You don't know the half of it!"

In the silence that followed Pearl could only stare at her daughter's enraged form. Despite the firmness in her eyes and the scent of frustration washing over her, the shakiness in her legs gave away her inner conflict. Pearl had been around long enough to know when her children were angry at a situation and not at her. As soon as she walked the short distance to her daughter and place her hand on her shoulder, Arial broke down.

Her mother wasn't close behind.

"Well, dear." Pearl spoke with heavy emotion, "How about you fill your mother in? And we can work through this together?"

Arial gritted her beak. "Where do I even start?"

Pearl sighed before loosening her embrace. "How about the beginning?"

* * *

For a moment Mender considered tackling Orchid to prevent him from running in the direction of Arial. Though she felt the temptation to sprint over there as well. Arial was obviously upset.

But unlike Orchid, Mender could also hear Pearl's calm voice.

"Arial's fine, Orchid." Mender affirmed gently as she nodded towards Cynnil that she was not just saying this calm the fastrunner down, "That conversation is not for us."

Orchid did not respond for several moments, but eventually he sat down again. His expression growing even more grave.

 _Just what role did you play in this, Orchid? You look like you expect to be exiled._

Despite being uncertain if the fastrunner would even pay attention, Mender resumed her tale. The irony of the story taking on a more ominous tone not being lost on her.

* * *

 **The past:**

"Alright, I have been observing all of you for a while, and I have determined who your first sparring partners are going to be..."

As Littlefoot's voice boomed in the clearing, each of Dodger's pack mates considered their circumstances in a unique way.

 _I hope this goes well,_ Tracker thought.

 _How do they fight in this stuff?_ Violet really didn't like the vines. They felt weird.

 _This is going to be fun._ Dodger was actually excited about sparring. He didn't really like to fight, largely because it meant a near death experience. However, he loved to learn new skills, and this was a perfect chance.

"...Finder and Cera…"

 _Time for me to redeem myself after last time._ Cera thought to herself. She had lost five attacks to three. It was her worst showing in many Night Circles.

"...Ponder and Violet…"

 _Help!_ Violet thought, _Why'd he put me against Ponder? What if I accidently hurt her? Is Seeker still mad at me? If I mess up that way he'll be_ really _mad._

"...Haven and Tracker…"

 _Well, at least it's not Finder. Maybe Haven will go easy on me,_ Tracker thought, _At least she won't try to humiliate me._

"...Swift and Leap… how about a bit of sibling rivalry?"

There were a few chuckles from Taunt and the others over his comment, though the reason for Leap being assigned to his sister was not lost on those who were in the delicate conversation the day before.

"...and Taunt and Dodger. Thud and I will face those of you who make it through the first round."

"Well, count me out on that," Tracker muttered. _I've said it time and again. I can't fight._

"Don't count yourself out, Tracker," Littlefoot responded, with his tail smile still in full force, "We can't get better without practice. There will be more time for sparring once the competition is over. This is more about bragging rights…" he smirked as he glanced at Finder, "...and showing Finder who is boss after what happened last time."

Finder laughed arrogantly, "It isn't my fault that you are so easy to pin to the ground!"

Littlefoot rolled his eyes. "We will see if your luck holds out today, Finder… we shall see…" He then cleared his throat. "Alright, let's begin! Haven and Tracker, you're up!"

* * *

Ducky watched the other fastbiter as she shifted nervously in the center of the clearing. It was obvious that she had no idea where to begin.

 _Did I mention I've never won a fight in my life, unless you count being alive winning?_ Tracker thought, _This is going to be very embarrassing._

"Seeker? Permission to have practice rounds?"

Seeker nodded at Ducky's request. "Certainly, Haven."

Ducky smiled with her tail as she approached Tracker. "Let me explain how things are going to work, Tracker. After all it is hard to do what you are supposed to do unless you have been told first, yep, yep, yep!"

Tracker smiled at Ducky's verbal tic. Even if she never saw her again she doubted she'd be able to forget her friend.

"First, what we are going to do first are practice rounds, where even if we strike one another then the points won't count. This will allow you to get used to how a fight is like before we starting doing it for points. Understand?"

Tracker nodded. "We're safe in these things, right?"

Ducky nodded. "Yep, yep, yep! We even have mud caked on our claws to prevent us from cutting one another if we miss the vines. We may get some bruises and be sore, but that is part of the fun!" she then gestured at the ground between them, "The second thing that we do is bow to show that this is for play, and not an actual dominance battle." Ducky then bowed slightly as she allowed her eyes to follow Tracker's eyes.

Tracker copied Ducky. _If this were a dominance battle I'd have conceded already. I like being able to walk._

Ducky was unaware of Tracker's misgivings on the matter of dominance as she continued, "Next, a point is scored if we make full contact without the other dodging, blocking, or otherwise deflecting the attack. For example, this…" she did a glancing blow on Tracker's knee, "would not be a point, but this…"

Tracker then felt a thud as Ducky firmly struck Tracker in the chest, striking her vine armor.

"...would be a point. When we get a point then Spotter will let us know. Then we break apart, bow again, and fight again."

"Um, are there any extra points for a hit that would be deadly?" Tracker asked more for her mate's benefit than her own. She'd seen how Dodger fought many times. Most of his attacks would kill if they hit their intended targets.

Ducky shook her head. "Nope, nope, nope. We train for that as well, but we do not do that in a normal spar. We would use a lot more vines for that, and the defender is simply a target in that game. It is hard to move when you have enough vines to defend against a jumping kick to the throat. This is why jumping attacks are not going to be used in this game."

 _Dodger is going to have a very hard time today,_ Tracker thought, grimacing. "Okay. Got it."

Ducky smiled. "Alright, in that case let us begin!" she then bowed deeply as Tracker repeated the gesture.

"Practice round, begin!" Chomper's voice boomed as Ducky rose to her full height and began moving in a fluid manner, shifting weight from foot to foot.

Tracker backed up a couple steps, waiting for Ducky to make the first move.

"A defensive strategy can be best if you are at a disadvantage," Ducky affirmed as she advanced with a strike of her forelimb towards Tracker's neck.

Tracker pulled back and hurriedly moved to the side before she got backed into the audience. She made an untargeted swipe to give Ducky a reason not to follow too closely.

"Good. The best defense for an attack is often to take the offense," Ducky noted as she shifted back, "But what do you do when the attack is followed up by another?"

Tracker dodged the first strike and blocked the second one, coupling the block with an attack of her own. _Thanks for the lessons, Dodger, but I'm starting to wish I'd practiced more._

"I can see you have already had lessons," Ducky confirmed, "Now let's see how you react when there are many attacks."

Tracker barely blocked the first strike to her neck. The second came from her left, and she barely deflected it. She nearly lost her balance when Ducky's right foot connected with her chest. A tail strike to the face sent her sprawling.

Normally, Tracker would've rolled back onto her feet. Now she just stayed down. _Ouch. How'd she do that?_ "I told you I'm no good at this."

"No, you are not," Ducky affirmed with surprising bluntness, "But that is why we practice. You cannot become good unless you started out as bad. Do you think I was a good fighter when I started?" she asked as she assisted Tracker back to her feet.

"Probably still better than me," Tracker replied.

Ducky laughed. "Nope, nope, nope! I was a swimmer, remember? At least you have always had claws!" she smiled as she bowed again, "Now let's see how you do on the offense."

* * *

"Hmm… she has some spunk, I will give her that."

Littlefoot nodded at Thud's comment as Tracker leapt at Ducky with all of the ferocity of an actual fight. Though Tracker had yet to score a single point, it seemed that Ducky's words had inspired her to redouble her efforts.

 _A flying strike on a tail?_ Littlefoot pondered openly, as Ducky took the supposed misjudged attack as a time to strike. That was when Tracker surprised them all.

" **Point for Tracker!"** Chomper's roar echoed across the clearing.

"Now that is an interesting technique!" Littlefoot whispered towards Thud as Ducky shook off her surprise, "Left Haven an opening, and she took the bait."

Thud nodded. "She knew that she was getting overconfident, and used that to her advantage. When the strongest, use your strength; when the weakest, use the other's against them."

Littlefoot could only agree as he marveled at how far Ducky had been tossed by Tracker's tail swipe and throw. Chomper would certainly need to even out the dirt fighting area before the next match.

"So what are your plans with these newcomers, Seeker?" Thud asked rather bluntly as the two fastbiters in the fighting area began to circle one another again, "They seem strong enough, but there is such a thing as oversized pack."

Littlefoot nodded at this. "I… don't think that Dodger and Tracker have an interest in staying with our pack. They are already bonded and would make for good allies if they were to remain nearby." _...and they wouldn't be too much competition for food either!_ Littlefoot noted to himself as he considered the ramifications of having a smaller pack within half a day's trot from his pack's territory. Despite the affection that he had for them, he also had to consider the practicalities of the situation as well.

Thud seemed to laugh with his eyes. "Ah… so you are just planning on keeping Violet then? I don't think Ponder would appreciate you doubling-up."

This had the desired effect as Littlefoot glared at the elder fastbiter's cheeky smile. "I can see where your son gets it from… but for your information, I think that she will go with them as well. She is Dodger's sister after all."

Thud blinked and gave a small bow to show that no disrespect was meant. "True, and I don't actually think that my joke was your intention… but what if she does decide to stay? It can be hard being an unpaired one when the Time of Mating comes. Especially if she is not around family… males can be cruel during such times. Eggs are too precious to let others stay around. Others who are not related by blood."

Littlefoot shook his head, but remained silent for a moment. He could hear Chomper call the final point for Ducky, but at the moment all that he could think about were Thud's words. He had not really thought that far ahead to consider the sex ratio of his pack with another female. As it was Ducky was already unpaired.

"I suppose that is something that I will have to consider if the time comes. It might not come to that."

Thud nodded, but remained silent. Littlefoot had not told him about Violet's disability, but he could detect the 'hints' that she had an impairment of some kind. If she were to remain in a large group then her talents could be best served, and she would be most protected from her faults. In a pack of three, on the other hand…

"Um, Seeker, are there rules against biting?" Dodger asked after walking up to the pack leader.

Littlefoot tried his best not to jump at the other pack leader's voice. He had gotten so lost in his conversation that he had forgotten that another fight was about to begin. That was when the context of Dodger's question finally reached his mind.

 _Are there rules against biting?_

Littlefoot leaned back on his haunches as he glanced towards Taunt, who now looked somewhat apprehensive about the situation.

"Uh… you do realize we're not supposed to kill one another, right?" Taunt asked in a joking matter, but there was a hint of tension in his voice.

Littlefoot 'smirked' a bit with his tail as he considered the situation. "Usually we do not in spars, unless it is in one of our more 'intensive' trainings. Would you prefer to bite?"

"Well, I do use that a lot," Dodger replied with a hint of laughter. _Usually when I'm trying to kill someone, though_ , he mentally added. "If it's not a problem…"

Littlefoot gave a little look towards Thud as the other glanced towards his son. Littlefoot allowed the tension to build for a moment before speaking again. "Well… that is up to your opponent. But remember that we use protection here. So if you use your teeth then we will need to make sure that they can't do too much damage…"

"Somehow I'm concerned about how that works," Dodger said. He really didn't want anyone messing with his teeth for any reason.

"I… uh… well, I won't back down if he wants to use teeth, but yes, Seeker, I would want to use the sticky berries if we are going that route…" Taunt muttered with a mixture of bravado and concern, all of the humor was lost in his voice. For once Taunt was dead serious. Cera merely looked on with determination as she gave him a reassuring clasp on the back.

"Well…" Littlefoot hummed, "If you want to have the sticky berries put on all of your teeth, then both of you can bite. They don't taste good, but they will keep you from _tasting_ one another."

"Eh, I'll just try to adapt," Dodger said, reconsidering, "I don't want to delay things too long." _I don't think they can stop me from literally using my head, though._

Littlefoot clasped his clawed hands together for a moment. "Excellent! But keep in mind if there is _any_ biting…" he left the threat unfinished. He knew that both Taunt and Dodger were prideful, and he would not tolerate his packmate, or his guest, being harmed in the heat of the moment.

"Understood," Taunt affirmed firmly.

"I understand, sir," Dodger affirmed with a nod, "Ready to get out there, Taunt?"

Taunt presented his characteristic cocky smile. "Of course! Ready if you are."

Littlefoot watched as both Taunt and Dodger advanced into the field of conflict. Both communicated pride in their demeanor, but he couldn't help but think that someone would have a damaged ego by the time the match was concluded.

"Kick his ass, Taunt!" Cera yelled in support of his mate, "But don't bite his ass, or Seeker will kick yours!"

Littlefoot could only roll his eyes on the antics of his two packmates. This battle would be a proxy battle for Cera's ego as well.

"A lot of ego in this fight," Thud noted with a smug look on his face, "Want to take bets on this one?"

Littlefoot snorted. "Ha! I thought we were analyzing our pack members for improvement."

Thud smirked. "Yes, and I analyzing your ability to make good bets. I bet you four ground fuzzies that 'Mr. I want to bite' over there gets at least three points on my son."

Littlefoot looked shocked. "You're betting against your son?"

Thud shrugged. "Pride comes before the fall… besides if I am right then I can give him one of the ground fuzzies to make him feel better."

Littlefoot rolled his eyes. "Only one of them?

"Well…" Thud snickered, "I have to eat too, don't I?"

Littlefoot turned towards the fight as he smiled widely. "You're on. If Dodger gets at least three points then I owe you, otherwise…"

* * *

 _Okay, so how do I do this?_ Dodger wondered. He used biting quite often in combat, so fighting without it was going to be difficult. _Best to play it safe at first. See what Taunt does._

The orange fastbiter circled Dodger with a curious expression. Taunt's eyes conveyed no emotion, only a cold, calculating stare. It was obvious that he was gauging Dodger's reactions. It only took a few moments for Taunt to make a quick thrust with his forelimb towards Dodger.

Dodger moved to the side slightly to avoid to the attack. He didn't want to get entangled with a block if there were a follow-up attack.

But there was no follow up attack, nor any commentary from the silent fastbiter. He merely continued to circle Dodger and stared at him eye-to-eye. It was as if Taunt had been told this was a staring competition, and not a battle. It was as if he were waiting for Dodger to make a move.

 _If he's planning on me making a move he's going to be waiting a long time._ Dodger thought. _Best to wait for an opening. It's not like I'm going up against half a dozen opponents._

"Enough of the foreplay, son! I don't think he is interested!"

It seemed that his father's taunt was enough to shake Taunt out of his desire to wait this out. With an almost ferocious response he jumped at the other fastbiter, both feet extended.

Acting mostly on instinct, Dodger jumped to the side before making a second jump to hit Taunt in midair, claws aimed at Taunt's vine-protected neck.

In an instant that seemed to drag on for an eternity Dodger's eyes beheld a sight that made no sense. As if his opponent had been struck from above, Taunt suddenly crumple in mid-air in order to deflect the counter-attack, with his forelimbs colliding with Dodger's forelimbs. It was only then that Dodger realized that Taunt was letting their momentum carry them into the ground.

The collision felt far-away, as if it were not even real.

More from momentum than intention Dodger head-butted Taunt when they landed. He followed this up with a couple of kicks to get himself away from Taunt. Had this been a real fight, he'd have gone for Taunt's throat rather than retreat.

Taunt barely dodged the kicks, as they landed on his legs, and thus did not count as a 'clean hit'. With a swift movement, however, he sprinted towards the other fastbiter's chest, not even attempting to defend against a possible counter-attack.

Dodger swiped at Taunt's neck with both hands before lunging forward for another head-butt. His final attack connected, but he took a hit in the chest, awarding Taunt the point.

* * *

Littlefoot smirked at the result, "It looks like you will soon owe me some ground fuzzies, Thud."

Thud shrugged, "Don't count your eggs until you eat them, Seeker. I have a feeling that my son has just made a big miscalculation."

* * *

 _Damn it! He could have killed me if this were an actual fight!_

Though he had scored two more points since the first hard-fought point, his head still rang with a massive headache. He had let his ego get ahead of him, and had made some foolish mistakes. His father's own comments had further encouraged him to show the old fastbiter that he could stand on his own.

 _He probably bet against me again. He always does that to make me prove myself!_ The thought of his father eating a free meal on his failures only drove him onwards. He would not allow his father to succeed on this day. He would make his winning record 3-0 for his father's last three visits to the pack.

He swore it.

Dodger kept up his defense against Taunt's most recent attack. He backed up a step to force Taunt to lunge and possibly create another opening for him to exploit.

 _He is learning… well that won't save him now…._

With a look that could be mistaken for rage, Taunt sprinted towards his opponent and allowed himself to leap towards his neck. He would make his attack as brutal as it was simple.

* * *

 _What has gotten into him?_ Dodger wondered, _He's been recklessly aggressive since the fight started. Even Violet would have been more cautious._ Dodger hated to admit it, but he was starting to get nervous. Taunt could potentially win just by tiring him out.

His thoughts were cut off, however, when Taunt suddenly shifted to his right.

 _Too sudden. Fake._

Dodger shifted to the left and back to counter Taunt's real attack. Dodger took the opening created by off-footing his opponent and leapt at Taunt's own side.

" **Point for Dodger!"**

 _That worked?_ Dodger mentally asked. The question showed on his face.

Taunt for his part almost looked embarrassed about leaving himself so open to attack. He merely gave a slight nod to his opponent as he returned to his corner.

"Well… things just got more interesting."

Dodger glanced to the side at the sound of Thud's voice. _Okay, time to show them what I can really do since everyone's watching._ He loosened up a bit, preparing for the next clash.

"Begin!" Spotter's voice called out as Chomper's footsteps could be heard as he moved to get a better vantage point. Now the question on everyone's mind was who would make the first move?

Unlike every other bout before, Dodger moved first, rushing Taunt in an attempt to provoke a counter-rush. At that point he planned to jump to the side and launch another attack.

Taunt took the bait as he rushed forward in order to meet offense with offense. He quickly began to shift his weight to the back of his feet in preparation for a jumping strike on his opponent.

Right when Taunt leapt Dodger jumped to the side, turning while airborne. He ignored the jolt from the landing and made a second leap, slashing at Taunt's throat.

" **Point!"**

"You alright, Taunt?" Dodger asked, noticing his opponent was trying to catch his breath more than his latest attack required. He couldn't possibly be winded already.

"Break!" Littlefoot suddenly called out as Thud ran into the field of battle with Ruby close behind.

Dodger backed away from Taunt, slightly alarmed. He really didn't want to get in a fight with Thud.

"Taunt, are you alright?" Ruby called out as she advanced towards him with a concerned expression. His father did not have time to ask a similar question, however, before Taunt spoke.

"I'm fine!" He coughed one more time after he said this. "He just tightened up my vines is all!"

Reluctantly, the other fastbiters backed off and allowed Taunt to rise to his feet under his own power. All of them knew that he would refuse to show any weakness during a battle. Especially not during one that he was currently winning.

* * *

 _He has my son already figured out…_ Taunt noted to himself as he watched the battle commence in its typical ferocious fashion. He almost felt bad for baiting his son into losing his cool.

"Dodger might have the makings of a great pack leader… but I don't think that he sees it."

Thud blinked as he turned towards his fellow pack leader, silently asking him to elaborate.

"He seems very dismissive of his own abilities. He blames himself for all of his pack's shortcomings… but he can see what we see." Littlefoot's mouth twitched. "...he has the sight, you know?"

Thud nodded as his son fell to the ground once more in a failed attack. He neglected to brag about winning his bet with Littlefoot, as the score was now tied at three apiece. "The sight of a leader… to see what the others will do based upon what they have done before."

Littlefoot nodded. "Path and I have it. Stern Claw has it when she is calm… but the others don't have it quite like we do, you know? I wonder if this will wake Dodger up."

Thud snorted as he saw Dodger deflect one of his son's attacks with ease and use his momentum to toss his son like a skipping stone., "Dodger seems to be quite awake."

Littlefoot rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean…"

" **Point for Dodger! Game point!"**

Thud took a deep breath. "Let's see if my son can mount a comeback…"

* * *

 _Not like this… I can't let it end like this._

Taunt tried to quiet his racing heart as he stared at his opponent. It had come to this. If he were going to mount a comeback, or at least make a good final stand, then it would have to be now.

"You can do it, Taunt!"

Taunt nodded without turning away at his mate's words. The fact that there were no implied jokes in her cheer showed how concerned she was. That was an emotion that he never wanted to hear from his mate. He never wanted to be helpless.

 _Not again! I am not a child anymore!_

He continued to stare at his opponent as he circled him mutely. He had to make his move soon or Chomper would force them to make a move upon risk of a penalty. Unreasonable delays would not be permitted.

Taunt sighed. It was now or never.

He realized that his opponent would know he was coming, so he merely affirmed that fact with a quick bow and an extension of his claws in a fighting stance. This would be a straight assault, no trickery or gimmicks. Either his attack would fool his opponent or it would not.

 _And here we go,_ Dodger thought. He shifted into a defensive stance and waited for Taunt's attack. Waiting for an opening was much easier than making one.

With burning exertion in his legs, Taunt charged at his foe. He could feel every tendon in his legs vibrating with each stomp of his feet. He could feel every ragged beat of his heart. He knew that even if he won this round then he would be spent for the next battle. This was his last stand. With that in mind he finally leaped.

Taunt could feel the air flow over his scales as he struck out at the opponent below him, only to register surprise as his claws collided with the dirt.

 _What…_

Dodger crashed into Taunt's back hard enough to send both of them sprawling. He barely managed to get in an obvious neck strike.

" **Game!"**

Taunt lay on the ground for several moments as he registered what had just taken place. Dodger must have dove under his leaping attack and delivered the final blow to his undefended neck. Now all that remained was a stinging pain in his neck, and an even more stinging blow to his pride. He had been defeated horribly not only in front of his mate, _but also his father._ With sorrowful resignation he tried to rise to his feet.

Dodger moved over to help Taunt stand up, having already gotten to his feet. "Good fight, Taunt. I've had an easier time against three opponents." _This guy's good._

Taunt reluctantly accepted his opponent's hand as he went to his feet. "I apologize that I proved to be an unworthy opponent," Taunt replied as if he had not heard Dodger's praise, "I reflected poorly on my pack today. I hope that my packmates prove worthy of your presence."

Then, without saying another word, Taunt retreated to where his mate was waiting, only stopping to give an apologetic bow towards his pack leader and his father. The kind of treatment one would expect from a pack member who had failed to live up to the pack's expectations.

Dodger looked helplessly at Littlefoot, unsure what to do with himself. _If I knew this would hurt him this bad, I'd have just let Taunt hit me._

* * *

 **Back to the present:**

Arial reluctantly pulled away from her mother as she struggled to regain her composure. This had been the third time that she had lost any sense of control that day, and it scared her.

"I... don't know what has gotten into me."

Pearl smiled. "Love. Love makes us do strange things. Though sometimes it takes a scare before we put our priorities in order." her smile weakened somewhat as she remembered what it took before she followed her eventual mate. In that case it was the attempted murder of Detras by her brother.

Arial noticed her mother's response and tilted her head. Her mother's response was bitter, but the bitterness was not directed at her.

"I am just thinking back to when I met your father, dear. At least you didn't have to bash in your brother's head."

Arial was silent for a moment before the memories of that particular story came back to her. She had never met her uncle for obvious reasons, but she did not regret that fact at all. It had only been her mom's swift attack that had saved Arial's father. At a loss at what to say she remained silent.

"So... I seem to remember when we all chased Nahoda from our stream the first time..." Pearl offered tentatively, "Was that the first time that you had seen him?"

Arial looked away slightly. "No..."

It was at that time that her mother did the last thing that she expected. She laughed.

"What's so funny!?"

Pearl smiled knowingly. "I joked with your father after we saw you nearly bit him in the chase. You seemed quite enthusiastic about getting close to him, and I guess not for the reason that your father suspected."

Arial merely glared at her mom, her hands on her hips making her look like a caricature of futile offense.

"Alright, Dear. _You_ obviously are familiar with this male, but _we_ are not." _Except for the fact that he likes to steal our fish!_ "So how about you tell your mother about how all of this began."

Arial sighed. There was no getting out of this.

"It all began about three full Night Circles ago..."

 _Fish! Fish! Fish!_

 _Normally Nahoda would have been more careful when in a strange territory, but that was before starvation had reared its ugly head. For the first time since he had been chased from his parents he finally had a filling meal._

 _Or rather he would as soon as he caught the slippery fiends._

" _Come back here you…"_

"I was walking by the stream, looking for snapping shells when I heard some splashing. I figured it was my brother so I decided to pester him."

Pearl chuckled. "You wanted to pounce on him!"

Arial grunted at her mother, "Like I said… pester."

" _Ha! Got ya!"_

 _The fastrunner ripped into the crimson fish with the ferocity of a tyrannosaurus ripping into its prey. This was the first proper meal he had in several days. In this moment of ecstasy nothing else mattered. He had a meal. He was content._

 _This is the perfect place! Rock walls… a stream with scaly swimmers… and no sharpteeth…_

 _Nahoda smiled. He could do something that he hadn't done since his father had driven him from home._

 _He was going to take a bath._

"So the idiot was taking a bath in the stream. He wasn't looking around at all. He had no idea that I was even around."

"And you decided to pounce on the stranger?!" Pearl asked with bemusement.

Arial groaned, "Mom! I just caught a glance at him… I thought it was Orchid."

Pearl placed her hands on her hips. "So he was not the only idiot not paying attention, hmm?"

Arial rolled her eyes. "Anyway… I prepared to sprint at him."

 _Nahoda cooed as the cool water washed over his body. From the Black Hills to the Desolate Plains he had been chased from one territory to another. Only here had he experienced a moment of peace. Perhaps here he could form a territory… find a female… form a…_

 _He never got a chance to finish that thought._

" _Gotcha, Orchid!"_

 _In a confusing cascade of pink, blue, and purple Nahoda was pummeled into the stream. His unknown assailant had caught him entirely unaware as he desperately flailed away from the attacker. The assault only ended when a pain-inducing bite landed on his tail._

" _Ow!"_

 _Nahoda scrambled as he retaliated and kicked out at the mysterious pink beast. With a resounding thud she landed on top of him. Her laughter making him freeze in a mixture of terror and confusion._

" _Ha! That was great! Why are you…"_

 _The female froze. Her beautiful laugh and playful demeanor suddenly being displaced with a mixture of fear and confusion. It was a change that made Nahoda wish he could trade anything for her welcome laugh to return once more. Such happiness had been non-existent in his journey, and its extinguishing was to him a personal tragedy._

" _Hi… My name is Nahoda. What's yours?"_

 _He barely had time to move out of the way before she charged him again._

"I chased him towards the twisting gorge, but he… he…" Arial gritted her beak in agitation.

Pearl looked at her with concern. "Did he try to attack you?"

Arial shook her head. "No! The bastard was laughing!"

" _Ha! You're a good dancer! But you never told me your name!"_

 _Nahoda dodged Arial's charge with ease. The female was feisty as her flirtatious attack had showed him, but her speed still needed work._

Still a good female _, part of his mind affirmed._

" _You bastard! Get out of my territory and stay away from my scaly swimmers!"_

 _Nahoda smiled as the female charged him again, this time sending him barreling to the ground. "Not until you tell me your name first!"_

 _Arial suppressed a scream at the insufferable male. "The name's Arial, and stay the fuck out!"_

 _She charged off towards the stream before he could even say a word. Her confusion about her feelings sending her to her thinking space. For Nahoda's part, only one thought consumed his mind._

' _Arial… Her name is Arial. I can't wait to see her tomorrow.'_

Little did he know that her father would be there to greet him.

* * *

 **Dun... dun... dun... I figured it was time for another cliffhanger, as one can never have too many of those. d-;**

 **My apologies for the nearly two-week delay in getting this chapter ready. It was a matter of trying to determine how to best reconcile the current portion of the 'past story' (roleplay) thematically with the current events in the 'present-day' story. Now that this matter has been resolved Historian and I should have the next chapter ready in a little over a week. (:**

 **DevoutRelic : **Yep, the last update came relatively quick. The main delay when it comes to chapters in this story is due to the creation of the 'present scenes' and their integration with the 'past scenes' which come from the roleplay. In a manner of speaking Mender is telling us her story (through song and thought) as a new story unfolds around her. It is an interesting challenge and something new for me as an author. As for your comments about the dialogue, that is a good point and it is something that I have been keeping an eye on. This story is heavily dialogue-driven, but my co-author and I do need to be cautious to ensure that the underlying plot is not lost in that dialogue. In the chapters to come a better idea of the overall struggle in this story will come to light. As for Nahoda, let's just say that the next chapter might be rough for both 'past Nahoda' and 'present Nahoda'. Let's see what the fastrunner equivalent of the father cleaning the gun in front of the daughter's boyfriend is. XD

 **bryan mccloud : **Yep, the rainbowfaces might be about to make a rather big mistake as far as 'cultural contamination' is concerned. And, yep, you are correct about Chomper taking on the role of assuming the 'Big Biter' jokes. I guess it is only right as he has kept calling his friends his 'ankle biters'. (-;

 **gordhanx : **Yep, the little intros from the rainbowfaces was something that came to me as soon as the Archiver Stones came into the picture. I did like the use of quotes in the Seven Hunters, and I think their exclusion from Songs of the Hunters was a regretful omission in hindsight. The quotes are often good at setting the mood of the chapter. As for the Tracker moments, I am glad that you thought that was handled well. I must admit the inclusion of the whole rape angle into the story, though believable under the circumstances, was something that I feared Historian and I would handle wrong. For a subject that sensitive we neither wanted to downplay the horrors of the act, nor imply that the victim could not recover from the damage. I can only hope that my co-author and I did the subject with the respect and sensitivity it deserves.

 **Thanks for the reviews, everyone! I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the latest chapter.**


	11. Chapter 10: Conflicts, civil and othe P2

**-v-**

 **Chapter 10:** **Conflicts, civil and otherwise (part 2)**

" _ **Good communication and the clarification of misunderstandings should be the top priority of an exploration officer of the Consortium. Often the best way to use a weapon in a mission is to ensure that it doesn't have to be used at all."**_

 _ **Precept number 3,**_

 _ **Essential Precepts of Consortium Operations**_

* * *

 **The past:**

Littlefoot sighed as he saw the scene. "Alright, Leap and Swift, you are up next. And Dodger? Good fighting out there."

Dodger bowed in acknowledgment of the compliment and walked over to his mate, feeling very awkward. _Maybe Tracker can help me? Seeker was no help at all._

"Over here, Dodger," Ducky called, "The winners and losers are kept separate until the matches are over."

Dodger couldn't help but glare slightly at Ducky for even remotely connecting the word 'loser' with his mate even if she had not meant it insultingly. During Tracker's fight there were a few times where he had to restrain himself, and in a couple cases be restrained by his sister, from going out there and turning Ducky into a single giant bruise.

Tracker looked a little off-put at not getting to talk to her mate when it looked like he needed it but was otherwise unbothered by Ducky's statement. "We'll talk later," Tracker promised. She took her mate's nod of acknowledgement as a good sign.

"So…" Ducky began as Dodger finally sat beside her in the 'winner's circle', "You did very well with Taunt. That is the worst that he has been beaten since Stern Claw had her 'great' day and won all of the rounds with no points made against her."

"Badly? I distinctly remember getting hit three times out there, all of them consecutively. If that's your definition of bad, I don't want to face him when he's having a good day." Dodger was shocked that anyone could say that Taunt did anything short of excellently.

Ducky nodded. "True, but you made five points against him consecutively. No one has done that to him in a long time, nope, nope, nope."

"I just got lucky. In a real fight I would have been dead long before I got those hits in."

Ducky grew silent for several moments before speaking again. "That is why we train. You learned very quickly though." She stopped for a moment. "Did… I make you angry somehow? If I did then I am sorry, I am, I am."

"I'm just a bit overprotective of Tracker. Violet actually had to hold me back a couple times during your fight," Dodger replied, "Normally when she's in trouble I help her out."

Ducky looked down for a moment. "That… that is understandable. How is she doing after the fight? Was she upset about losing? I told her that she did well for a first time…" Ducky trailed off as she had so many questions to ask.

"Alright, fighters, get in your places!"

As the two fastbiters listened to one another, Leap and Swift both got into their places. This would be a fight between siblings.

"I think this is the first time I have seen both of them fight in the first round. I wonder why Seeker set it up this way this time," Ducky pondered.

"Probably to keep Leap and me separate. I don't think Seeker expected me to win. _I_ didn't expect me to win." Dodger had done quite a bit of thinking on that subject while being outfitted with the protective vines.

Ducky shifted uneasily as she choked out a question, "Uh… so Tracker talked to you about what happened?"

"Yeah. I was a bit disturbed when she started the conversation with asking me to promise I wouldn't get mad." That had not been a good sign. It never was.

Ducky grew silent for several moments as they watched Swift get to an early 2-0 lead. She always was a better fighter than her brother.

" **Point for Leap!"**

Both of the fastbiters watched as Leap helped his sister back to her feet after landing a defensive kick to her chest. Now the battle was 2-1.

"Wow, he must have been practicing," Ducky noted, "His defense is usually not very good."

"Interesting," Dodger said, acutely studying Leap. He'd promised Tracker he wouldn't kill Leap, but he'd said nothing about causing him severe pain. If they faced each other in the next round, he wanted to get what revenge he could without hurting his relationship with Littlefoot and his pack.

Ducky studied Dodger silently as Chomper's announcement of another point could be heard in the background. She didn't know Dodger particularly well, but she could deduce the meaning of the glint in his eye. Despite her timid nature she felt compelled to say something.

"He is not Calin, Dodger."

"I know he's not Calin. That's why I didn't kill him yesterday when I guessed what he did to my mate," Dodger replied, a dangerous edge to his voice. "And I promised Tracker I wouldn't kill him," he said in a more normal, resigned, tone.

Ducky grew silent but could smell the stench of anger and resignation radiating from Dodger. In a way she couldn't fault him for his emotions, but she also felt empathy for Leap as well. For him it must be like being victimized once again. After all, Tracker was not the only one to be forced to do things against her will.

" **Another point for Leap! It is 4-2 for Leap, game point!"**

Dodger jerked his attention back to the fight. "Swift seems to be having a bad day."

Ducky nodded. "This reminds me of the one time I beat my brother when he had the coughing sickness. He was upset for days," Ducky noted to herself with some amusement, "Finder has always beaten me ever since though. He is a much better fighter than me, he is, he is."

"He's also bigger than you."

Ducky snorted. "Yes, but not as much bigger as back when I was a swimmer! I used to ride on his back sometimes."

"How did you two end up being siblings, if you don't mind my asking? You were two completely different kinds." Ironically, _that_ was the part of the story of the Seven Hunters that he had the most trouble with.

"It happened back when we were going to the Great Valley. We came across an abandoned nest, and his egg was the only one left. As soon as he hatched I realized that we couldn't leave him there. So from that point on I took him in." She smiled at the memory. "My brothers and sisters just called him our spiketail brother."

"I don't really like spiketails. Trying to hunt one nearly cost me my sister. When she got hit, I thought her leg was shattered. I'm still not convinced something wasn't at least cracked; she couldn't walk for quite a few days."

Ducky nodded. "Spiketails are formidable prey…" She watched the continuing battle closely as the two siblings circled one another. "They seemed much more inviting back when I was not trying to eat them. But then again… so did threehorns and longnecks."

"Threehorns seemed inviting? From the impression I've been getting from Stern Claw, I can't imagine them being easy to hang around. Violet's still seems afraid of her."

Ducky shifted uneasily as Leap made his first attempt at striking his sister this round. "Umm… well she is quite nice when you get to know her. She is one of my best friends." She cringed a bit when she saw Leap land on his face but quickly recover. "But, then again, you have to have a thick skin to handle Taunt." She chuckled at that thought.

"Getting to know her is a bit difficult. I think I've talked to her for more than a moment only once. Speaking of Taunt, is he okay? He didn't seem to take losing very well."

Ducky frowned. "He is usually good-natured about losing, but he seems to have really blamed himself this time. He did not want to appear weak in front of his father." She quickly closed her mouth as if she had said too much.

"If he wanted to avoid appearing weak, I'd say he'd succeeded," Dodger said, touching his chest where he'd taken multiple hits.

Ducky didn't know what to say without giving away Taunt's childhood secrets, so she remained silent. He was still self-conscious about it. However, before she could say anything, Leap succeeded in making a swipe at his sister's face which met its target.

" **Leap wins the round!"**

Ducky grew tense. She knew what this meant.

* * *

"Well, shit."

Thud could not disagree with Littlefoot's assessment as Leap looked towards the 'winner's circle' and the place where Tracker's mate sat with an unreadable expression. Even Swift stood in an uncertain manner as if she didn't know where to go. Littlefoot seemed to be considering his options when Ducky gave him a placative gesture.

"It seems that Haven thinks that things are alright…"

Littlefoot did not react to Thud's comment for a moment, but then reluctantly waved Leap towards the winner's area. This was a gesture that Thud echoed a moment later. Though Thud did not envy his packmate at this point.

 _Well this is going to be awkward…_

* * *

 _I'm so dead… so dead… so dead…_

Leap tried to compose himself as he conspicuously sat on the other side of Ducky. It wasn't every day that you were in the same area as the mate of your victim. To say that there was not an accepted social rule for such a situation would be an understatement. Typically the expected social ritual would involve being disemboweled by an angry mate…

Not quite sure how to react in a way that didn't involve Leap being in multiple pieces, Dodger did his best to not react at all. A glance he gave Leap, though, was not all that friendly or even neutral.

 _I don't know what to do… I can't apologize; he would not accept that. I can't run away, I am honor-bound to participate. I guess… I guess…_

Leap sucked in a deep breath as he closed his eyes. Perhaps it was time to meet the consequences of his actions.

"Easy, Leap."

Leap nearly jumped as Ducky touched his back.

"We won't let things get out of hand," Ducky's voice continued in a soft whisper, as her eyes met Dodger's. It was probably fortunate that she couldn't read his mind.

* * *

 _You promised Tracker, remember? Don't kill him. Not maiming him was probably implied. No breaking his arm and making it look like an accident._ Dodger was doing everything he could to control himself. His first reaction was to eliminate anything that had or could hurt Tracker. He reminded himself that breaking a promise would hurt her quite badly as well. _Maybe trying to get to know him better will make him seem more like a person than a cause of pain for Tracker. How do I do_ _that_ _?_ He found it very ironic that Tracker could probably handle such a problem far better than he could.

" **Next up: Ponder and Violet!"**

"Are you guys sure this is a good idea?" Dodger wondered aloud. _There are plenty of things that can go wrong here. Violet has never been a controlled fighter, and Ponder is probably the worst person she can fight short of Seeker himself; Stern Claw, at least, isn't Seeker's mate._ He'd been noticing that Violet got more nervous around the higher-ranking fast-biters than the lower-ranking ones. If she were up against Seeker she would probably just surrender.

Leap cringed, as his thoughts remained in overdrive. _Is he talking about me and him being in the same place? If so then I agree wholeheartedly!_

Ducky, however, understood the meaning. "Ponder is very understanding of newer fighters. She will go easy on her."

"Uh… yes," Leap stammered out, "She was very helpful when my sister and I arrived. She and Haven were willing to help even when they weren't sure if they could trust us or not." The undertones of Leap's statement were obvious to everyone.

"It's the rank situation I'm more worried about. The higher-ranked someone is the more nervous she gets," Dodger said reluctantly, not happy to openly state yet another of Violet's insecurities.

It was at this moment that Ducky surprised both of her counterparts by standing up and cheering at Ruby, "Good luck out there, Ponder! **Remember not to rise so high that you trample on the low,"** she finished in leaf-eater.

Ruby seemed to pause for a moment as she stared at her opponent. Then, with a deep bow, she exaggerated the gesture to indicate that what was about to follow was just play.

"You know, Tracker was wishing she could learn that. Said something about trying to listen in when a story-speaker was talking," Dodger said. Ducky's use of the leaf-eater language reminding him of a comment Tracker had made a few nights prior.

"Perhaps we will have time to teach her the basics," Ducky noted as she sat down again, "Though I imagine a story-speaker would be curious to learn that a sharptooth was listening in."

Leap then spoke up, "Seeker's grandfather was a story-speaker, wasn't he? I remember him mentioning that one day."

Ducky nodded. "Yep, yep, yep! Leaf-eaters tell stories instead of singing them, but the principal is the same. I guess that is why he is such a good singer."

"Tracker loves stories more than anything else. Honestly I don't know how she remembers them all so well. I'm pretty sure she could repeat your pack's song back to you word for word." Dodger was very proud of Tracker's ability. Prowler had just belittled her for it, not really seeing the point of such a skill.

Ducky smiled. "That would be great. I am sure that Seeker and Ponder will remember yours as well. That way our descendents can hear of our deeds and lessons after we are up there with our ancestors." She reflected for a moment. "Though I hope that we do not have to join them too soon, oh no, no, no."

Leap nodded. "I think that we all can agree with that."

Dodger briefly considered jokingly suggesting otherwise before deciding that that would be cruel. Leap looked like he was ready to bolt as it was.

* * *

 **The present:**

"So I take it that after your little display, that Nahoda decided that he was interested?"

Pearl was careful to step away from her daughter in case she took offense, but the worst reaction that she got was a harsh glare.

"You're enjoying this, Mom?"

Pearl smirked. "Why wouldn't I? It looks like my girl has finally found her champion."

Arial scoffed, "Champion? He's an idiot. He thought my attack was an invitation"

Pearl shrugged. "Well no one's perfect. Are you sure that _you_ didn't mean it as an invitation?"

"What are you saying, Mother?" The use of the formal word was not lost on Pearl. "That I wanted him to come back?"

Pearl rolled her eyes. "How many males from outside of the family have you been around, Arial? Since you have grown into your adult feathers?"

Arial looked away. The answer to that was 'none'.

"I'm simply saying that perhaps you weren't too disappointed when Mr. Doesn't-Get-The-Point decided to come back," Pearl finished, "When was that, by the way?"

Arial answered in a far-away voice, "When Dad found him…"

"Oh… oh dear."

 _Sunlight, bright and welcoming, enveloped everything that the fastrunner could see. Like a silent friend it illuminated the desolate scene and brought everything into focus. From its high perch the fastrunner could almost imagine that he was a flyer. One with the sky. Seer of all._

 _But, much as he would want to do so, Detras had no time for daydreaming. He had a family to protect._

 _He carefully examined the stream. There stood his mate and his son, chatting about something as his daughter munched on a snapping shell nearby. Plentiful food for a family of four was one of the blessing of this place. A blessing that they could not take for granted._

 _That was when he saw it._

 _It was faint, but then again threats were always faint before they became obvious. But it was there nonetheless. A slight hint of violet on the outline of the cliffs._

 _A male fastrunner. And he was staring right at his daughter._

 _Detras rose to his feet. He would make sure that was the last thing the intruder ever saw._

"I was not aware that he was around. But that was when I saw Dad come off of Hanging Rock with one of those pointed sticks Spotter showed us how to make."

"And instead of a predator you assumed it was your special friend?" Pearl prompted.

Arial rubbed her hands nervously. "Well… if it had been a sharptooth then he would have alerted us all. As soon as Daddy went up the bluffs I knew what I had to do."

 _Arial hurried up the bluff in the opposite direction of her father. If the insufferable male had any amount of sense he would be heading down this way and not…_

" _Gotcha!"_

 _She didn't even have time to groan as powerful arms grabbed her neck and a playful bite greeted her beak. Before she even had time to react the male had retreated from outside striking distance._

Darn it! Now we're even, _some part of her mind complained._

" _You have to get out of here, Nahoda!"_

 _The male smirked as he sprung to his feet. "Gonna chase me away again?"_

 _She closed her eyes and counted to three._ Ancestors give me strength not to kill this male before my father does…

" _My father is after you, Nahoda. You need to get out of here now!"_

 _The male stammered, "Your... father?"_

" _Don't worry, Arial I'm coming!"_

 _Nahoda froze as he saw the massive purple male in the distance. In that moment he did the only logical thing._

 _He ran._

* * *

 **The past:**

 _It's official. Seeker is trying to humiliate me_ , Violet thought, _There is absolutely no way this is going to turn out well._

Ruby began to circle the agitated fastbiter in a slow and steady rhythm.

"Would you like a few practice rounds, like what Tracker got?" Ruby offered, "I don't want to start until you are ready."

"I'm ready," Violet said, her voice suggesting the opposite. _If I wait too long I'll just surrender._

Ruby frowned as she knew it was her pride talking and not her head. "Very well. Just do your best; that is all that any of us can do." With that she raised her hands in an offensive posture and began to circle her opponent swiftly.

Violet copied the maneuver but was uncharacteristically in a defensive posture. Anyone that knew her would know that she was most definitely not confident in her abilities based on that alone.

Ruby carefully positioned herself for an attack. _Well… let's see how this goes. I will make it as easy on her as I can, Haven, but I can't dumb this down too much…_ without any further thought she began her attack by launching a flurry of forelimb strikes towards her opponent. She would see how the novice handled the new threat.

Violet backed up to avoid the first couple of strikes and give her time to block the following ones. She immediately tried a counterattack of her own after the last block. She couldn't stay on the defensive forever.

Ruby retreated back. _Not terrible for a first try, but I don't want her to think I am treating her like a child. Now for the real fight…_

She considered her opponent for a moment as she kept within three body-lengths of Ruby. A rather brave strategy, but Ruby could detect that this bravado was being used to hide her own insecurities. Nonetheless, she had to respect her determination. Without wasting any further time, however, she launched a feigned attack to the left of Violet.

Violet moved to her right, trying to copy one of Dodger's strategies and potentially score a point. Despite not being in the best position to do so, she launched her own attack, rushing Ruby…

 _Took the bait…_ Ruby thought to herself as she shifted her body to strike out with a ferocious kick directed towards her opponent's abdomen.

Violet doubled over when Ruby's kick connected, her own momentum making the blow worse. She stumbled backwards, falling over and clutching her stomach. _Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. I think I'm going to be sick._

" **Point to Ponder!"**

Ruby noted her opponent clutching her stomach and immediately made a hand gesture to put the designated healer, Thud, on standby. "Are you alright, Violet?"

"Give me a moment." She stood up, and walked out of the fighting area for a moment. Doing her best to not really be seen, she ended up losing her breakfast. _Well, that's better than being torn open, I guess._ She walked back to her starting point, still panting a bit. Her abdomen still ached. "Okay, I'm ready."

Ruby grimaced a bit, but waved Thud off. It was obvious that Violet was not going to back down.

* * *

"Wow, she has spirit, doesn't she?!"

Littlefoot nodded at that assessment from Thud. Violet's demeanor had certainly become much more forceful and confident since she had met his pack. He would have to make sure to comment on that even if she didn't get a single point in this match.

"Not bad for a first spar," Littlefoot noted, "She is looking better than I did when Dein was training my pack."

Thud laughed. "I almost wish I was there to see that!"

Littlefoot groaned. "No. No, you don't. Those were some of the hardest days of my life. He just didn't let up."

Thud put on a cheeky smile. "I didn't say that I would want to have him train me… I just said that it would be entertaining to watch you suffer."

Littlefoot rolled his eyes. "Let's just see if you are so cocky when you have to enter the battles…"

Thud smiled. "Oh? Have someone in mind to humble me, do you?"

Littlefoot merely laughed. "You will just have to wait and see, Thud. Wait and see…"

* * *

 _Not again,_ Violet mentally groaned as she stumbled backwards after taking a kick to the chest, _This really hurts._ She unconsciously shielded the area with her arm.

" **Point to Ponder!"**

In front of the momentarily distracted fastbiter stood the source of her anguish. The pink fastbiter's eyes seemed to fixate on Violet for a moment before Ruby nodded slightly. Satisfied that Violet was not injured, she then retreated back into her corner. A noticeable satisfied tint existed in her eye. After all, she was winning 2-0.

 _I've got to land a hit somehow. But how? Nothing I've tried works. Ugh, Dodger makes this look easy._ Violet did her best to keep her frustrations inaudible, but she still found herself growling in frustration. She was not having a good day.

Ruby seemed to notice the frustration on the other fastbiter's demeanor and quickly bowed her head in a stance that indicated she was ready whenever she was. Though the second meaning of the gesture was not lost on Violet: _remember that this is only play._

 _Calm down, Violet, calm down,_ Violet reminded herself, _It's just a game._ Once she felt she was calm enough she indicated her readiness. _Here we go again…_

Ruby didn't waste any time as she burst towards the violet fastbiter with tremendous speed. She had tried to trick Violet on her previous attacks, but now she was going for something a bit more direct. It only took an instant before Ruby's mud covered claws were speeding towards Violet's midsection.

Rather than dodge, Violet tried to meet her opponent head on. What happened next was a bit of a blur for her. One moment she was counter-rushing her opponent. The next, everything hurt.

 _Urgh… well that didn't go to plan. Go to plan it didn't…_ Ruby groggily thought as she heard Petrie fly near her.

" **Split point! Uh… you two need help?"**

Ruby tried to comprehend what her friend was saying for a moment before recognition reached her consciousness. "Uh… I should be fine; is Violet alright?" With that she slowly rose to her feet, only feeling a bit shaken up by the experience.

Rising to her feet, Ruby could see that Violet was quite slow to get up from the impact. Not only that, but she could also see a noticeable glaze to her eyes. It was obvious that Violet was more than a bit confused at this point.

"That… was a good hit, Violet!" Ruby spoke as she saw Violet look at her with dawning recollection, "We both got points on that one… are you alright?"

Violet didn't answer; she was trying and failing to avoid panic. Pain she could handle. What she couldn't handle was managing to injure Littlefoot's mate. She was pretty sure he was already mad after the incident with Leap. This would probably make it much worse.

Ruby stopped upon smelling the obvious agitation radiating from the other fastbiter. Sighing slightly she realized that she had to de-escalate the situation. It was obvious that if she was not agitated about her own injuries then she must be…

"I'm fine, Violet." She then lowered her voice to a barely-audible whisper. "There is no need to be afraid. We still have a few more rounds to go if you are up to it."

Violet stole a quick glance at Ruby's mate. She couldn't smell him, and his expression was undecipherable. "Seeker's not mad, is he? He almost killed me last time I messed up," she whispered, her voice shaky. She might have been responsible for that situation in the first place, but the pack leader's reaction had scared her far worse than anything Prowler had done.

Ruby took a deep breath. She could only assume what Violet 'screwing up' entailed as Violet had been part of whatever conversation Thud's pack and the two females from Seeker's pack had separately from the others. She could only assume that whatever it had been involved Leap in some way.

"He isn't angry now," she responded carefully, "If he was then we would all know it. Unless you try to betray us then you have nothing to fear from us." She hoped that this resolved the issue as she could only assume that the others would intervene sooner or later. If they continued speaking then it would be obvious that this was not the usual banter during a match.

"You sure?" Violet looked like she was ready to bolt, assuming she could. Her entire body had protested her attempt to stand up. _Not good. Ouch._

Ruby noted her discomfort. "Positive." She tilted her head, "Are you alright to go on? You could walk a few laps if you want to loosen up your muscles. It was a pretty hard hit."

Violet thought over what she wanted to do. She really didn't feel alright but was too stubborn to quit without anyone else intervening. "Just give me a moment," she said, forcing herself upright. _Ow. Ow. Ow. Ugh. This is going to really hurt in the morning._ Violet walked around a bit to loosen up. "Okay I think I'm ready."

Ruby smiled. "Excellent!" She then gave a nod to Chomper and Petrie who retook their positions. "Let us get started…"

* * *

" **Point to Ponder! Ponder wins the match!"**

Littlefoot watched the proceedings with some interest as Violet walked off of the fighting area with a slight limp. It was obvious that she had taken a bit more of a pounding than she was willing to let others know about.

"She is quite an enigma, isn't she?" Littlefoot muttered, "She looked like she was going to bolt there for a moment, but then she kept on fighting without a hint of fear."

Thud was silent for a moment, as if he were thinking about the situation. "Well… the person she was afraid of was not in that circle with her."

Littlefoot's expression darkened upon that realization. He briefly considered the obvious implications of Thud's suggestion. "I didn't scare her that much, did I?"

Thud shrugged. "You obviously made an impression."

Neither fastbiter spoke again as the two remaining contestants of the first round entered into the fighting circle. Spike and Cera both looked ready to tear one another apart as they took on their respective fighting stances, with Finder observing her coldly and Cera jumping back and forth as if she could pounce in any direction. It was obvious that this would be a hellacious battle.

* * *

 **The present:**

 _'Trying to go after my daughter!? I will show you fear, you brute!'_

 _The fear within his daughter's eyes were obvious and heartbreaking. He had assumed that he was far enough away that a chase would be all that was needed here._

 _But he had miscalculated._

 _In his mind Arial must have gone searching for something in order to get so far away from the stream. Perhaps she had seen the male and decided to attempt a counter-attack of her own? If so then she did not realize that she was the target._

 _He snapped his beak shut as he glared at his quarry. It was time to put his spear into use._

Detras could feel the percussion of each step as he walked through the soft grass and the warm ground. Despite the tranquil trappings of the world around him, his head was heavy with the emotions of the moment. The last time he had traveled beside Nahoda it had been less than civil.

In fact it had almost been deadly.

He turned his head towards the young male. The younger fastrunner attempted to keep his gaze forward as the elder male turned his harsh glare towards him. His purple feathers glistened in the sunlight, though his feathered head was ducked in fear.

 _Well, at least he isn't completely stupid._

"Where are you from, Nahoda?"

The younger fastrunner nearly jumped into the air as Detras spoke. There was no anger in his voice, but it was authoritative nonetheless.

"I-I... Nowhere, sir," the young male stammered.

Detras rolled his eyes, "Nowhere? It seems like you came from nowhere, but we all know you came from somewhere."

Nahoda swallowed. "I mean nowhere important, sir. As soon as I left the nest I tried to go anywhere I could survive…." He looked away. "...easier said than done."

Detras moved in front of the male, as if to block his path. His eyes were like fire, but his words were calm. "The Mysterious Beyond is a harsh place, Nahoda. Though one wonders how you will protect a female if you can barely protect yourself."

Nahoda sputtered, "Sir…"

Detras shook his head. "We will gather scaly swimmers. Then we can talk." His voice invited no disagreement as he sat beside the stream, not even looking at the other male as he began to search for the elusive scaly swimmers. _Hopefully they will be easier to catch than Nahoda was!_

 _Detras could feel his arm ache with anticipation as he prepared to draw it back. As soon as Nahoda made a mistake he would make his move._

 _ **Slam!**_

 _Detras's eyes went wide as Nahoda stumbled on the slick rocks._ Now!

 _The spear left his hand without a moment's hesitation._

* * *

 **The past:**

"Finder is really good, he is, he is. My brother can be brutal when he fights."

Ducky's voice barely rose above the commotion of the fighting as the three dinosaurs watched the fight with varying levels of apprehension.

"I've noticed," Dodger commented with a grimace, remembering his own fight against Spike, "Tracker _really_ noticed." He was honestly surprised that Tracker's only injury had been to her leg, regardless of how bad that injury was.

"I wonder how they are doing over there," Leap noted with a soft voice, "Violet took quite a few good hits."

"She is a tough one," Ruby acknowledged, "I could tell that she was a bit sore when she got the split point, but she refused to give up." She omitted the need to calm Violet's concerns about Littlefoot. She didn't want to ruin Violet's reputation, or make things odd between Littlefoot and Dodger.

"She doesn't know how to give up," Dodger said, "Do you remember what I said about that incident with the spiketails?" He hoped Ruby remembered since he really didn't want to explain it again.

"I do," Ruby noted, "It is fortunate that she is stubborn, but she has also learned to be… um… more than a little cautious when she is not being stubborn."

"She kept trying to walk despite the fact that just touching her leg nearly made her scream. She only stayed still when Prowler couldn't see." Dodger sighed and moved so he was next to Ruby. "Ponder, what happened out there?" he asked in a low tone.

Ruby held her breath for a moment as she debated the best way to explain the situation without lying. "She was concerned that she had hurt me, and that that would upset Seeker." She intentionally left out why she suspected Violet would be afraid of Seeker. "I had to explain to her that she had not upset my mate, so she had nothing to worry about." _Seeker… you and I are going to have a chat about this tonight!_

"I'm going to gut Prowler next time I see him," Dodger muttered in a tone so low Ruby could barely make out the words. He took a calming breath. "Did she seem alright after that?" Dodger asked in a more normal but extremely concerned tone, "You were closer than I was."

Ruby nodded. "She seemed alright after that. It was just a play fight, and injuries happen. It wasn't like she was challenging me for rank or something."

"She wouldn't dare," Dodger said. _Oops. Did_ not _mean to say that out loud._ "Disregard that."

Ruby remained silent but considered Dodger's words momentarily. _Hmmm… seems like there must be a bit of history there… something else to talk to Seeker about._

Neither one of them had much time to think, however, before Leap spoke out, "Wow!"

" **Point for Stern Claw!"**

 _Darn. I missed it. I love the irony, though._ Dodger held his tongue when a rather jeering comment sprang to mind. Having Spike on his back after he had similarly slammed Tracker down hard enough to stun her was too good to at least mentally comment on.

"A throw!" Ducky exclaimed, "Stern Claw used Finder's momentum against him!"

Ruby grimaced. "He is going to be sore after that…"

"Can't help but think he deserved that. Just sorry I didn't get to do it," Dodger muttered, hardly realizing he was speaking aloud.

All banter stopped for several moments as the others considered Dodger's statement. Ruby had an expression of surprise, whereas Ducky had more than a bit of anger in her features.

"My pack put aside our old misgivings when we accepted you here with us," Ducky spoke in a low, yet not openly threatening, growl, "Do you yet still harbor anger at us?" The odd formality of her speech was not lost on Dodger. He had deeply offended one of the most kind-hearted of the pack. This was an open questioning of his intentions.

"Haven, I saw my best friend slammed to the ground hard enough I thought her spine might have broken. I didn't realize she was okay until after I drove Finder back. Is wishing for a friendlier rematch a step too far? I seem to remember you getting far angrier when your brother was barely injured at all," Dodger said defensively.

Ducky glared. "When we agreed to help you all get back on your feet, I let go of my anger. Hard as it was, I let it all go. But yet you still enjoy watching one of your allies in pain?" Ducky began to calm down, but she was still agitated to the point of losing her vocal tick. This change in demeanor was obvious to all present. "A sparring match is not a place to settle old scores, Dodger. If you still have one with any of us then you should declare it openly." She then sat back down and observed the fight that had already resumed with great ferocity. She found that its pace matched her mood at that moment. _If he thinks that way about Finder, then what does he think about me?_ The memory of her throwing the spear into Tracker's leg played in her mind.

Dodger forcibly kept himself from speaking further. If anyone, especially Ducky, breathed a word of this to Tracker he'd never hear the end of it. Worse she'd be right. _I need to calm down. This is getting me nowhere._

 _I'm so dead…_ Leap thought to himself, _If he thinks that way about Finder then what does he think about me?_

" **Point for Stern Claw!"**

Ruby was barely paying attention to the fight at this point, despite the fact that Cera was making a surprisingly good showing against her rival. Ruby was now too burdened with the knowledge that some wounds from the recent past had not yet healed. Even though Violet and Tracker seemed to be adapting well, it seemed that Dodger still held a grudge against the indignities of the past. _I wonder how much of this is him never really being educated in the ways of our kind,_ she mused, the irony of her not originally being of her kind not being lost on her, _When a fight is over the loser submits, and the winner is victorious. A pack cannot stand if everyone holds grudges; if everyone holds grudges then the pack falls._

Ruby sighed deeply. This would be yet another conversation that she would have to have with her mate.

* * *

"Well, sacred spiketail dung! It looks like Stern Claw might actually win this one!"

Thud could only agree with Littlefoot's exclamation. It seemed that Stern Claw's expert use of the throw earlier in the match had made Finder doubt his own strategy. As a result she quickly ran up the score on the reigning champion of the game.

"So… after this who should face who?" Thud asked his host, "We have Haven, Ponder, Stern Claw, Dodger, and Leap. That is five, but we need one more to make three matches."

Littlefoot smirked. "I will do it."

Thud rolled his eyes. "Trying to prove something, Seeker? You know it would look bad if you lost in the second round. Perhaps someone might try to challenge you for dominance?" he teased.

Littlefoot snorted. "If this pack decided things by strength alone, Thud, then Path would run everything and Finder would be his captain of the ankle-biters. Thankfully, this isn't the case."

Thud chuckled lightly. "True, but I wonder if your guests get that. Have you ever considered that they might see it as odd for the leader to enter in the earlier stage?"

Littlefoot's interest was now perked. "I'm listening."

Thud nodded. "Perhaps I should enter into the second round..."

* * *

"Congratulations, dear! Don't worry; I shall keep our **former** champion company with my lovely commentary and companionship!"

Spike bristled at Taunt's words, but he resolved to not give him any satisfaction as he walked by the orange fastbiter. He was still cross about his lackluster performance.

"Shut it, Taunt," Spike merely offered as he sat down from the loser's side, a position that he had not seen for quite a few weeks.

Taunt smiled slightly. "Easy, Finder, at least you didn't lose to one of the guests like I did. I really need to practice more." He said this more to calm Finder from his obvious disappointment, but some of Taunt's displeasure with himself still remained.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Violet asked, catching a possible insult in Taunt's words and advancing towards him before Tracker could stop her. _No one insults my brother._ Tracker didn't bother to correct her; she'd been having similar thoughts.

"What he means," Spike began with more than a little annoyance in his voice, "is that we have been practicing all of the time for years, but yet your brother still managed to beat Taunt. With our vines and safeguards we should have more experience than nearly any other fastbiter in the Mysterious Beyond, but yet he still found a way to be victorious."

"What happens when you make a mistake?" Tracker asked calmly before Violet said something she'd quickly regret.

Taunt was momentarily taken aback by her question. "What do you mean?"

"What happens when you make a mistake and your opponent gets a hit in?"

"In this kind of game, they get a point. In real life, if you are lucky, you get a scar. If not, then you meet your ancestors," Taunt muttered glumly.

"Dodger has been fighting to kill since he was a kid. You tend to get pretty good at fighting when losing a fight means you die." Tracker said before guiding Violet back to where they were sitting.

"Well, Violet," Taunt muttered, "Don't feel too bad about earlier. As I have just demonstrated, we are all capable of saying stupid things from time to time."

"You are especially adept at it," Spike noted with a smirk as Taunt gave him an obscene claw gesture. This merely caused Spike to erupt into laughter.

Seeing Taunt's gesture Tracker reflexively blocked Violet's view. _Bad gesture or not, I'd rather she not learn ways to insult silently._

Taunt snorted. _No wonder why Violet is so innocent: they try to shield her from everything…_ though as he thought about it, he dropped the idea that he had, _...probably a good idea in her case, though I am tempted to show her everything that I know._

Tracker, apparently able to read his mind, shot Taunt a warning look.

Taunt merely responded with a grin, but then he quickly gave her a slight nod. It was a clear sign that Violet would not learn of his vast wealth of insults, but that Tracker would now be the recipient of his wares. Beside him, Finder merely grunted in amusement.

* * *

" **Alright, winners! We have decided on the matches for the second round!"**

Dodger gave Littlefoot his undivided attention. He'd been mulling over a way to apologize to Ducky, but he had yet to figure that out. Now he had no time. _I wonder who I'm up against._

"Ponder, my dear?" Littlefoot smiled at her as he lowered his voice to a conversational level, "You get to face the new entrant into the game."

Ruby blinked. "Who is that?"

Littlefoot smiled. "Why, that would be Thud. Aren't you excited?"

Ruby glared at him and placed her hands on her sides, "You, dear, will get to have another sparring match tonight."

Littlefoot smiled a bit at her playful threat, but yet he still feared that she would let him have quite an earful that night, "We did choose these at random… uh hum… anyway on to the other matches… Leap?"

Leap looked at Littlefoot with wide eyes.

"Leap you are to face Stern Claw, which means that Haven gets to face Dodger. Good luck to you all."

Leap felt relieved, despite the obvious pounding that he would get from facing Cera, but at least he wouldn't have to face the dinosaur who probably wished for him to be murdered. That relief suddenly vanished, however, when he turned his attention to Ducky and Dodger.

The two fastbiters were staring each other down. Ironically it had been Ducky that started it.

 _What? You think I'm going to back down just because my sister and my mate are your friends?_ Dodger thought, _On second thought, that's not entirely ridiculous… I still have a reputation to uphold, though._

Ducky continued to glare at the pack leader. Despite her usual kind-hearted nature, Dodger had crossed a line with her that profoundly upset her. He had taken enjoyment out of her brother's pain, and she took that personally. She resolved that this fight would be done without any kindness on her part. The only thing that would keep her from ripping out his throat would be the protective vines. Without even thinking about it, she began to raise her left leg. She was about to subconsciously make a gesture that would escalate this much further.

"Seeker, sir!"

Dodger broke out of what was quickly becoming a challenge at hearing Leap's voice. He moved closer to investigate while keeping an eye on Ducky. All thoughts of apologizing were gone. He could do that when he'd beaten her in front of the whole pack.

Littlefoot looked taken aback by the events going on in front of him. Ducky and Dodger seemed to be on the verge of some kind of grudge battle, whereas Leap had suddenly spoken out. He resisted the urge to ask what in the hell was going on, and faced Leap.

"I request to face Dodger, sir."

 _You've got to be joking,_ Dodger thought, _What are you thinking, Leap? You do realize I still don't like you very much, right?_

Ducky was even more direct. "What!? He is mine, Leap!"

Littlefoot narrowed his eyes at this display. "If someone doesn't tell me what is going on right now, then all of you will have to face me."

The silence stretched on for several moments, but no one said anything. It was a truly stifling atmosphere. Gone was the harmony and good-naturedness that had existed moments before.

Littlefoot looked at his mate, but she too remained silent. It was improper to get involved in another person's challenge.

"Very well then. Haven and Dodger, I order both of you to tell me what is going on here. If there is conflict then I need to know what it is about."

 _Can't you just let us beat each other to death and get it over with?_ Dodger wondered. This was worse than being called to account for his siblings' actions by his father. He was being called to account for his own. He'd let his pack and himself down. "We had a bit of a disagreement over a comment I made, sir." _Understatement of my life._

"That is right," Ducky agreed, still in an agitated state, "We had a disagreement."

Littlefoot merely looked at her. "Enough of a disagreement for you to drop the nopes and yeps, and to get halfway to making one of Taunt's gestures? That is more than a mere disagreement, Haven."

Ducky remained silent as she averted her eyes. It was obvious that this was a more profound rift than she was willing to admit.

Littlefoot sighed deeply, as Thud watched from some distance behind. Very carefully, Littlefoot raised his right arm and lowered it twice, before swiftly making a striking motion with his left claw, which was cut short. _Two possible challengers in a battle, not a game._ All of the banter across the pack stopped immediately.

"If either of you want to fight this out then I will give you the chance. All you have to do is take off your vines and face one another in the fighting circle over there," Littlefoot pointed as he continued to speak in a cold monotone, "But keep in mind that I will personally see to it that whoever wins in injured a hundred times more severely than the loser by the time I am done with them. So… any takers?"

Dodger made a point to see that his vines were secured as tightly as possible. There was absolutely nothing for him to gain by such a fight and everything to lose. "No, sir."

Ducky shook her head. A feeling of shame washing over her.

Littlefoot closed his eyes. "I hope that one day both of you will find it in yourselves to admit to me what actually happened here. I am disappointed in both of you." He then opened them again as he faced Leap. "Are you sure, Leap?"

Leap gulped. "I stand by my words. My fate is my own."

Littlefoot nodded. "Very well. Leap will face Dodger in this round, and Haven will face Stern Claw. Get ready, everyone."

Ruby tried to get his attention by stroking her mate's shoulder, but he walked away as if he had somewhere else to be at that moment. It was a sign of his displeasure in her, and she knew it. In the same way he had kept some truths from her, she had just then failed to give him information. Though she did so for good reasons, she suspected that his reasoning for his secrets would undoubtedly use the same justification. The entire situation made her feel empty and alone.

 _I'm sorry, dear._

* * *

 **The present:**

Orchid sighed. Despite his attempt to focus on the song, all of his focus was on the events of the day.

More specifically, his role in what transpired.

"Dad… I only hope that you can forgive me…"

Not at all bothered by the interruption, Mender gave Orchid a concerned look combined with a bit of hope that he'd actually explain what was bothering him.

Orchid gave no indication that he even noticed that the song had stopped, merely shaking his head and staring at the ground. The hidden runners certainly had noticed, however.

"Is he alright?" Buse hissed in Mender's direction. By his standards it was a whisper.

Cynnil sighed as she tentatively stepped in the fastrunner's direction. "I'm sure your sister is alright, Orchid. If anything it seems like she may have found..."

"I lied to my parents and nearly got my father killed. What kind of son does that?"

"I've done both to my brother, and he pretty much raised me," Mender said, "What does that say about me, Orchid?"

Orchid was silent for several moments, making the others think that he was not going to answer. But when he did answer his voice came through as a hoarse whisper.

"It all began when Arial told me what was going on…"

" _Are you alright, Arial?!"_

 _His sister didn't react immediately, which made Orchid quickly shake her. "Are you alright?!"_

" _He's going to kill him!"_

 _Orchid snorted after he gave his sister a quick inspection. "Serves the bastard right! That's what he gets for… wait! Where are you going?!"_

"So what happened?" Mender asked, not quite seeing a problem yet. She had, after all, earlier that day tried to eat Nahoda.

"I tried to talk sense into her, but she didn't listen. It wasn't until we ran to the top of the rock wall of the gorge that she finally tried to explain things.

" _This is all my fault! I was the one who pounced on him last night… he must have took it as a…"_

 _Orchid sputtered as Nahoda appeared in the distance, appearing like a small pebble from their height. "You made him your mate?!"_

 _ **Smack!**_

" _No, you ignorant tail-chaser! I thought he was you, and I tried to tackle him!"_

 _Orchid rubbed his cheek as his sister's words registered in his mind._ Oh… Oh.

" _He thinks you… no wonder he came back," Orchid muttered mutely, "But, sis, what do.."_

" _We can't let him be killed because of my stupid mistake!" Arial exclaimed as Detras came into view, a spear in his hand. That was when Nahoda tripped._

"Even though my sister didn't get it... I just couldn't let my dad kill the love-struck fool. I mean… Arial…"

"You were pretty sure she was interested?" Mender asked, trying to be sure she understood Orchid correctly.

The fastrunner nodded. "I couldn't know for sure… but she reacted as if something more was going on. The situation didn't exactly give me time to ask more."

"So what happened next?" Buse prompted.

Orchid sighed. "That's when it happened..."

 _The moment seemed to freeze into an eternity of uncertainty. There was no time to ask any more questions. The only things that he knew were that his sister had feelings of some kind for this male, even if they were only compassion, and that his father was preparing to murder what he thought was a murderous intruder. He only had time to act._

 _And act he did._

 _Shaking his sister harshly he pointed at the loose rocks on the cliff face. With any luck they could block their father's chase._

" _Kick now!"_

 _The two fastrunners quickly burst into action as they placed the entirety of their weight into the loose rock at the top of the cliff. When it finally did give way they barely had time to scramble onto the wall._

 _It was only when Orchid regained his footing that he saw the results of his handiwork._

 _"Dad!"_

* * *

 **The past:**

Despite the fact that it was his mate up there facing his fellow packmate, Littlefoot couldn't make himself take much interest in the fight's proceedings. The guest pack leader that he had built some camaraderie with was at odds with one of his best friends for some unknown reason, and his own mate refused to say a word to him about. Worse yet, Leap of all dinosaurs had decided to take Ducky's place in the fight with Dodger. Littlefoot could only guess at what Dodger knew about Tracker's past, but he could assume what his opinion of Leap would be.

 _What a dark day._

In his mind he contemplated the possibilities. If Ducky and Dodger did come to blows then he would be honor bound to determine who instigated the fight. If it were Dodger then he had no doubt that he would put an immediate end to the conflict by ending the threat from Dodger once and for all, but what if it were Ducky? Could he honestly allow his friend to be ripped apart, even if she had instigated such a conflict? His directive as part of fastbiter tradition was very clear, but his emotions were not. Then there was the matter of the two females, Tracker and Violet. What would come of them if such a conflict occurred?

Dark days indeed.

He sighed deeply as he contemplated the dark thoughts that were meant for pack leaders alone. He had been able to avoid the matters of dominance and competition quite well thus far, but it seemed that the newcomers had brought these long dormant issues to the foreground. Now the only question was: how to resolve the issue before it became any more severe?

* * *

Seeing Dodger and Ducky nearly come to blows had alarmed Tracker. Having to tackle Violet to keep her out of trouble alarmed her even more. _When this is over I am going to get the truth out of him if I have to enlist Path's help to beat it out of him_ , Tracker thought, concerned about her mate and what he might have done. She didn't think Ducky was blameless, but Ducky wasn't part of her pack. That made things different.

Taunt was silent and tense after seeing the exchange that had transpired moments ago. Even his mate seemed unsure about the situation as she had been in the process of walking towards the winners area when the altercation had occurred. Now all he was left with was a growing concern in his belly. _Please don't let whatever the fuck this is go any further._

"Taunt, a little help," Tracker pleaded, still struggling to control Violet.

Both Taunt and Finder broke out of their respective trances as they went over and leaned against Violet, holding her in place. It was Finder that spoke first, "Easy, girl… going over there is not going to help things right now."

"What do we do, then?" Violet asked in a defeated tone. She had finally exhausted herself to the point she wasn't sure she could stand up even if they let her.

"Nothing. Nothing at the moment," Taunt replied sadly, "It looks like Seeker put a stop to whatever it was for now, but eventually they will have to work it out. And perhaps people will have to talk some sense into them."

"I'll talk some sense into him, alright," Tracker said in a tone that suggested doom for anyone that tried to stop her. _Dodger, you know better than anyone what happens when those I care about are in trouble…_

Being mindful of Tracker's tone, Taunt waited a few moments before speaking again. "Violet, if we let you go now will you calm down?"

"I'm not even sure I can stand," Violet admitted, too shaky on the inside to care about whether or not she looked weak, "I'm tired." _Tired of everything. Why can't things just work out for once?_

 _You and me both, Violet, you and me both._ Taunt then let go of Violet and allowed her to lay down beside Tracker. Meanwhile, the fight between Ruby and Thud continued on unabated, though no one was paying much attention.

* * *

" **The match goes to Thud!"**

Dodger barely heard the announcement. He'd been almost numb since Littlefoot said he was disappointed in him. Never mind that he was not the only target, those words had felt worse than getting a head-butt from a two-footer. _And I should know, now that I've experienced both. How do I fix this? Can I fix this?_

"I guess it is our turn now," Leap muttered in a barely audible voice. He was not looking forward to this at all and completely expected that the vitriol that Dodger had for Ducky at the moment would be visited upon him. And that was assuming that Dodger still didn't know the full details of what happened back in Calin's pack. His only relief was the fact that he was protected by vines and having his opponent's claws covered in hard mud. But it was barely any relief at all.

"Hey, Leap," Dodger said suddenly. _I can do this. For Tracker. Prove to her that I can control myself. That I can let things go. If she wants to forgive Leap, what right do I have to hold a grudge on her behalf?_

Cera and Ducky were now watching the interaction with extreme interest. Despite Ducky's anger at Dodger, her concern for Leap was overwhelming. She had no idea how this was going to develop.

Dodger practically got in Leap's face so he could drop his voice low enough to try to give them a bit of privacy. "I know what you did. All of it..." he whispered, nearly hissing.

Leap grew still. He was certain he was dead at this point. _Oh shit..._

"I also know you and your brother helped Tracker when no one else would…" Dodger sighed, steeling himself for what he was about to say. _For Tracker._

Leap forced himself to stay silent, as he was now uncertain where Dodger was going with this. For despite Tracker's act of forgiveness, he didn't really forgive himself. He always felt that he was tainted by his actions. The fact that everyone in the pack had been forced to do horrible things did not change those feelings. The only thing that radiated from him besides fear was the unmistakable scent of shame.

"For that I can only say 'thank you'. Tracker's willing to forgive you; who am I to contradict my mate in such a manner? Let's leave the past where it belongs." That last part was as much for himself as for Leap. "Good luck out there, Leap." With that Dodger stepped back and moved to his starting point.

Leap sucked in a breath, still stunned by this sudden development. He realized that this deserved a reaction from him of some kind, but he was unsure what to do and he didn't trust his voice at that moment. So he used his body instead.

With a sudden movement, Leap bowed formally and gave a polite nod. It was the best response that he could give at the moment. Though he was certain that he would certainly receive quite a beating in the battle ahead, he was relieved by his opponent's gesture. It was as if a mighty weight had been removed from his shoulders.

 _Time to get this over with…_

With a final bow to communicate to one another that this was a game, both opponents moved into fighting stances. The match was on.

* * *

"Who thought this was a good idea?" Tracker thought aloud, not really directing her question at anyone in particular, "Someone's going to get hurt."

Taunt opened his mouth to speak but quickly closed it as he was unsure what to say. He had guessed what had occurred between her and Leap years ago, but that didn't mean that bringing that up would be a good idea. Far from it. As a result he merely looked at Swift helplessly.

Swift for her part coughed before responding. "I'm… I'm sure that my brother will be fine if Thud authorized this…"

 _I'm not so sure,_ Tracker thought in response but didn't actually say anything, _Dodger, please don't do anything you'll regret._ She'd seen Dodger fight plenty of times. If he wanted to, she was pretty sure he could severely injure Leap without it looking intentional. _Remember what you promised me._

* * *

"This is such a stupid idea…" Thud breathed to no one in particular, not realizing that the other entrants to the second round could hear him clearly.

Cera breathed deeply but did not speak. _Well… it was his idea…_

Ducky was not so silent. "I should be the one out there."

Her response caused Thud and Cera both to look in her direction. Now it seemed that Cera worked up the nerve to speak.

"Heck no, Haven! You two would rip one another apart."

Ducky grimaced. "It is Leap I am mainly concerned about… Dodger had more of a reason to strike him than me." She quickly went silent, realizing that she had said too much.

"Care to elaborate?" Cera asked, both concerned and intrigued, "Dodger seemed pretty calm around Leap."

Ducky quickly looked down, ashamed. "That… that is something that Leap or Tracker can tell you about. It is not my place." She hesitated. "It… well it has to do with Calin's pack."

Thud was more blunt, but no less evasive. "Calin made all of his members do horrible things. Those memories should die with him."

It was in that moment that the battle that all of them had been fearing began suddenly in the clearing. Both of the fastbiters traded blows, which were deflected by a sideways retreat. It was obvious that they were testing one another.

* * *

 **The present:**

The fish landed in the pile just like all of the others that two fastrunners had caught. Despite the fact that enough fish had been obtained to feed the entire family, it seemed that neither was willing to break the silence.

That was until Nahoda finally worked up the courage.

"I'm sorry."

Detras dropped the fish that he had grabbed, splashing the two dinosaurs in the resulting spray of water. He had been expecting many things, but an apology wasn't exactly one of them.

"I um… Arial pounced on me so I thought she was interested, you know… If I had known she was with family I would have done things properly… I..."

Detras closed his eyes as if to contain his annoyance. "You mean you wouldn't have charged into my family's territory and pounced on my daughter?" He then pointed a finger in the other's direction. "How would a stunt like that have turned out without the rock slide, Nahoda?"

Nahoda gulped. "I would be dead, sir."

Detras turned his attention back to the stream. _I was nearly the dead one._

 _Detras growled in frustration as the spear embedded itself into the rock wall, causing it to fall harmlessly to the ground. He wasted no time in sprinting towards the weapon while keeping an eye on his daughter's attacker. He would finish this!_

 _But it appeared that the rock wall had another idea._

 _As he leapt for the spear it disappeared behind a cascading boulder. That was when the sound reached his ears. Everything became silent against the roar of the chaos around him. He had no idea that the next rock had his name on it._

" _Dad!"_

" _Daddy, run!"_

 _Perhaps it was his mind playing tricks on him or maybe it was wishful thinking, but he could almost hear his children over the chaos._

 _That was when Nahoda tackled him._

"It was a smart move to take the initiative when the rock slide happened, I will give you that. Most people would have ran but you seemed quite willing to face the threat when it was down." Detras walked towards Nahoda. "It was wise to run before I got up."

Nahoda sputtered, "What?"

Detras glared at the male. "You attacked me when I was down and then you ran off, Nahoda. I am curious why you didn't try to finish the job. Or did you think better of it?"

Nahoda merely stared at Detras as if the elder had grown a second tail. His voice left him in a disbelieving tone, "Is that what you think I was doing?"

The elder snorted bitterly. "Are you arguing you weren't running away? Perhaps you were merely advancing in a different direction then?" he added mockingly, though his eyes no longer seemed as harsh. _He had the chance to kill me, but he settled for knocking me off of my feet. Was that for Arial's sake?_

Nahoda's bemusement quickly turned to anger. "Of course I ran! Any fastrunner with a brain would!" He then took his turn to point at the male. "The reason why I saved your life, sir, is because you were in harm's way."

Detras blinked. "What?"

Nahoda growled. "Did you not hear Arial and your son scream? Did you not see the rock fall where you were?"

Detras took a step forward, his features guarded but not hostile. It was obvious that he had heard something that confirmed the younger male's truthfulness. "Explain."

The younger male sighed. "It happened after I fell..."

* * *

 **The past:**

Leap dodged to the left as he tried to shake off the fastbiter's latest attack. He knew that he had a slight advantage in maneuverability, but that was the only advantage that he could count on in this battle. With that in mind, he quickly jumped to the right and feigned an attack to his other side, leaving his flank open to attack, or so he hoped that Dodger would think.

Being a bit overly cautious after his fight with Taunt, Dodger pulled back rather than attack. He liked for his opponents to truly overcommit to an attack rather than still have room to adjust before he got his own attack in. _This is going to be harder than I thought._

Leap simply retreated back as well. It was obvious that his opponent wasn't going to take the bait. He merely resumed his circling of the larger fastbiter, looking for an opening.

Dodger feigned a rush, seeing if he could put Leap off-balance. _Hope he doesn't counter-rush. I nearly pulled Violet out of her fight after her collision with Ponder. Those are dangerous._

 _Ha! Just what I was looking for…_ Leap thought in his mind as he jumped backwards and struck out with his mud-covered claws at the now advancing face of his opponent.

Glad for the extra room Leap had unintentionally given him, Dodger forced himself to stop and turned his slide into an intentional spin, trying to get a tail strike in or at least keep Leap literally off his back.

" **Point for Dodger!"**

 _Shit…_ Leap thought to himself as the ground that had moments before been under him, suddenly seemed to have allowed his face to take residence. It took him a few moments to realize what had happened _. Tail strike..._

Dodger did his best not to look shocked. He hadn't expected to actually connect with his target. He'd expected Leap to retreat and thus buy himself enough time to turn back around. _That worked? Best if I don't tell Leap that wasn't entirely intentional._

"Urgh…" Leap muttered as he forced himself to his feet, "Got a bit too cocky there…"

Dodger just shrugged. He couldn't think of anything to say that someone wouldn't think was mockery. _I don't need everyone even angrier at me than they already are._

Not being aware of Dodger's mental dialogue, Leap simply shook himself off and positioned himself in a battle stance again. "Ready?"

"Ready." Dodger settled himself into a defensive stance. He wanted to see how Leap attacked at bit more before starting a round with an attack of his own.

* * *

"That… wasn't so bad," Cera admitted out loud as she watched the two begin to circle once more. This was almost as friendly of a match as the prior one with Taunt. However, the conversation between the others moments ago still ran in her mind. _Seeker_ _ **will**_ _tell me what is going on._

Ducky remained silent as she watched the battle with substantial interest. She had an agitated expression and only the smell of nervousness radiated from them.

"I am pleased," Thud noted as he continued to watch the interactions between the two opponents. After all, observation led to knowledge, and knowledge could lead to victory. It was with that in mind that he carefully noted the reactions of his packmate and the enigma that was Dodger.

Returning to his starting point after a surprisingly easy score, Dodger felt it was time to actually launch an attack. _I've got to be careful about this. Not surprisingly, everyone seems to think I'm one hit away from ripping him into tiny pieces._ With that in mind, he rushed Leap with the simple intent of breaking through any blocks and getting a good kick in. That was the easiest way to avoid looking like he was intending serious injury; it was also a good way to leave oneself exposed to a counterattack.

 _A mistake,_ Thud noted immediately, _Come on Leap, I know that you can take advantage of this._

Seeing the opportunity immediately, Leap leaped backwards to avoid the massive clawed feet, and quickly allowed himself to land hard on the slippery grass. He promptly used the momentum from his landing to propel himself into the air as he launched a kick at Dodger's head.

 _Oh, this is going to hurt!_ Thud barely had time to think before reality ensued in front of his eyes.

Crash!

 _Should've seen that coming,_ Dodger thought. Though his head was aching he was glad what were for him instinctual responses. Dodger had let himself drop with the blow and rolled, allowing himself to be back on his feet in a few moments, a very useful skill in a real fight. Dodger instinctively moved into a defensive stance, still trying to get over the dizziness from moving so quickly.

 _He has seen his share of battle. That is something that I would expect of my packmates, but not from some youngster,_ Leap noted, _I will have to ask Seeker about this._

"Damn, Leap landed a hard one there!" Cera remarked with a somewhat pleased expression, "I think Dodger will take this battle though. Did you see how he handled that?"

Ducky nodded but said nothing. It was obvious that Dodger was a sore subject for her at the moment.

"So… either of you two looking forward to facing me in the next round?"

Cera snorted knowing full well that she had only beaten Thud twice in her battles with the elder fastbiter, whereas Ducky had yet to score a victory against him. "Not wanting to face him yourself?"

Thud did not immediately respond as the sound of Chomper announcing another point for Dodger could be heard in the distance. "I have a feeling that someone else wants to have a piece of Dodger."

* * *

 **The present:**

Nahoda tried his best to keep his gaze on the larger male as he stared at Nahoda with piercing eyes. It was a gaze that felt threatening, yet not hostile. An odd contradiction. Nonetheless he would not let himself show further weakness to this male.

If he couldn't stare her father in his face then how could he protect Arial?

"It all began when I fell..."

 _Time appeared to stand still for Nahoda. One moment he was sprinting up the gorge, and the next his foot seemed to step on nothing but air. That was when his other foot landed on something wet._

 _The rest was inevitable._

 _In a moment that dragged for an eternity the beautiful blue sky disappeared from his view and the brown rocks came into fine focus. As soon as his beak collided with the solid ground he knew that his short life was over. He would be killed by the father of his desired female. An ignominious end to a life that had barely begun._

 _That was when the spear crashed off of the rocks in front of him._

 _'I still have a chance!' Nahoda forced himself off of his unwanted perch, ignoring the burning pain from his battered legs. He could worry about those after he had scrambled to safety..._

 _"Damn!"_

 _...and escape from the angry father. As Detras's footsteps echoed across the rocks Nahoda realized he only had moments to spare before he was tackled. His headlong advance continued just in time as the scenery began to move once more._

"I wasn't thinking. I was just trying to get away... you can be rather scary, sir," Nahoda admitted.

Detras said nothing in response but retained his imposing stare. Seeing that Detras's scariness remained, Nahoda was quick to continue.

"I jumped over the giant jagged boulders in the gorge to get away... but you jumped too. Then I tried to lose you in that one cave..."

Detras finally spoke, "Everyone knows about the cave, Nahoda. Even the smaller leaf-eaters use it to get to the valley. I took the shortcut and blocked you."

Nahoda nodded. "That was when I heard Arial's brother."

 _Nahoda screeched to a halt as Detras suddenly appeared in front of him. His attempt to escape through the cave had been foiled. 'Where did he come from?!'_

 _"Kick now!"_

 _The third voice was a new one and despite his potentially lethal situation, Nahoda couldn't help but take notice. That was when he heard another sound entirely._

 _The sound of cracking rocks._

 _The young male forced himself to look up. The large boulder that had previously been balanced on the gorge's desolate cliff had taken flight like a wingless flyer. Its shadow appeared between the two combatants as the determined faces of another male and his beautiful Arial appeared in the rock's absence._

 _That was when their determined faces turned to terror._

 _"Daddy!"_

 _Orchid barely had time to process the situation as the shadow began to shift towards the elder fastrunner's advancing form. He had no idea the danger that awaited him. Only Nahoda could see the death that awaited... only Nahoda could barely hear the terror of his children over the wind... only Nahoda could attempt to make the situation right. Even in the weeks that transpired since Nahoda could not place his exact reasons for what happened next, but whether it was for his love of Arial or his desire to not see another fastrunner be forced to lose a parent, he acted._

 _Nahoda charged the elder which earned him a momentary look of surprise until Nahoda's body collided into his chest. As soon as they tumbled to the ground the boulder landed._

 _ **Crash!**_

 _The elder groaned for a moment as Nahoda struggled to catch his breath. It was only then that he looked at his handiwork. The elder male was struggling to rise to his feet as a small trickle of blood dripped from his chest where the young male had struck. However he was alive. Arial would still have a father._

 _Nahoda sprinted away for a final time. This time he was unopposed._

"So that's what happened." Nahoda finally looked down, giving and exhausted sigh. "I couldn't let Arial be without a father. Especially because of this horrible misunderstanding."

The elder male simply tilted his head at the younger fastrunner, and for a moment Nahoda briefly considered continuing. That was when Detras finally spoke again.

"I want to believe you, Nahoda, I really do. But part of me does not."

Nahoda's heart sank. _But I'm telling the truth! First my father and now Arial's, why won't they listen?_

"Your father kicked you out of the nest, didn't he?"

The younger male blinked, not understanding this sudden change in subject. He quickly nodded. "He didn't even warn me. I was getting fish one day to help my mom... and then he chased me out."

Detras nodded at this as he took a bite of one of the fish that they had caught. "My father was the same way. I knew how to find food and run away, so when my mother had new eggs it was time for me to go." He gestured in the distance. "It was hard for me. Very hard. But it inspired me to do things differently for my children. To make sure they were ready before facing the world." His voice almost made Nahoda feel at ease.

That was until Detras sprung forward and whispered in the younger male's ear, "If what you are saying is true then my son and daughter nearly killed me in trying to save you." A breath escaped the older male as he continued, "Do you swear what you say is true?"

Nahoda closed his eyes. "Yes, sir. But, sir, Arial and your son. I am sure that..."

"Do you swear with your life?"

Nahoda's beak clicked shut. The threat was obvious, but he would not back down. He knew that his words were the truth.

"Absolutely."

Detras looked at his grimly. "Then forgive me for what I am about to do, Nahoda, but I need to make absolutely sure. For your sake... and for the sake of my family."

Nahoda blinked. "Sir?"

But Detras did not respond. Instead he looked towards where Mender was just concluding her song. He could almost make out the form of his son in the background. That was when the elder male shouted something that made Nahoda's blood run cold.

"Mender! I need you for a moment..."

* * *

 **The past:**

"Are you ready for this, Seeker?"

Littlefoot did not speak immediately as he tightened up his vine armor around his neck. Failing to do it successfully, however, Ruby quickly began to tie the vines appropriately. He didn't bother insisting otherwise when she began to put vines on his hips as well. He knew that arguing against his mate would be useless when the matter of his personal security was in play.

"Of course I am ready," Littlefoot spoke with more than a little bravado, but he quickly felt a pang of shame when he realized that his mate's normally supportive words were missing in this moment. Obviously the secrets that both of them had deemed to keep from the other had caused a bit of a domestic dispute. "Thanks for helping me, dear."

Ruby looked up for a moment and gave a slight smile before quickly resuming her work.

 _Still pissed,_ Littlefoot noted, _Lovely…_

"Very well," Thud spoke despite clearly seeing the tension in front of him, "But you do realize that this is more than a little spar, right? I mean, he threatened one of your packmates, and you both have something to prove."

"I said that I am ready," Littlefoot barked, before relenting upon realizing his harshness, "What happens now has to happen, and both of you know it. I can't back down from something that I accepted earlier. Regardless of how unwise it may have been."

Ruby coughed slightly as if to remind him that her opinion of the stupidity of him facing another pack leader in a spar was brought to his attention earlier by her. Nonetheless she offered no disputing of his assessment of the situation. He would have to give the next fight his all regardless of the consequences. It was one thing for a pack leader to lose a spar to a packmate in a friendly spar, but it would be another for a pack leader to lose a spar to another fastbiter after disciplining the fastbiter in question. The unfortunate situation had been set in motion, and now it simply had to play itself out. It was now Cera versus Thud and Littlefoot versus Dodger in the second-to-last round. Littlefoot knew that he had to put up a strong show for the sake of his honor and the honor of his packmates.

Nothing else would do.

* * *

"This could get really ugly…" Taunt muttered in a low voice to Breeze as Spike looked on with an unreadable expression, "Seeker won't want to be easy on this one."

Breeze shifted on her sore leg partially out of the continued pain that radiated from it due to her recent hunting injury, but also out of nervousness for what lay ahead, "What in the name of sanity happened between Haven and him anyway? He is lucky that Seeker didn't escalate things further."

Spike spoke lowly, as if to avoid being heard by Dodger in the distance, or his fellow packmates, "She won't say, but whatever it was really pissed my sister off. She hasn't moved from her spot over there even though we are in the final rounds… I don't think she trusts herself around his pack…"

None of them realized that the wind was carrying the sound of their conversation straight to Dodger's perceptive ears.

 _Well this can't possibly get worse. Well, technically it can, but somebody would end up dead at that point. I don't plan on it being me._ Dodger sighed. He really didn't want to fight Littlefoot. He didn't even want this mess of a conflict with Ducky. _What I want is irrelevant. It doesn't change anything._ He checked his vines' tightness one more time. _If Finder thinks this is going to be one-sided, though, he better watch closely. I've been through far worse than this._ Dodger shuddered at the memory of his fight with Prowler the previous Cold Time. He wasn't entirely certain that fight hadn't ended simply because neither combatant could stand up on their own anymore. _There's no possible way this can get that bad. Not without Seeker breaking his own rules._

"You ready for this?" Tracker asked. She'd been trying to help with Dodger's vines, but, being unfamiliar with them, she wasn't as much help as she wished she was.

"Since when did being ready matter? It's not a fight I can walk away from."

"Dodger, what happened over there with Haven?" Tracker asked, wincing right after speaking. _That was not the best thing I could've asked._

"I said I was glad that Finder got a bit hurt in his fight after what happened to you when we fought him," Dodger said, feeling somewhat ashamed. _I definitely shouldn't have said that out loud._

"Thanks for sticking up for me, but you can't get into a fight over stuff like that. It sets a bad example for Violet," Tracker replied. She really didn't feel right correcting her mate and pack leader, largely because she wasn't sure she wouldn't have done the same in a similar situation, though most likely a situation involving Violet. Tracker had yet to see a fight where Dodger hadn't done far better than both of his packmates. "Be careful out there, alright?"

"I will."

Violet, who had been standing a bit of a ways away and not really paying attention for most of the conversation, being too focused on trying to figure out what everyone else was thinking, cut in before Dodger entered the fighting area.

"This isn't fair. You've been through two fights already, and Seeker's had a chance to watch both of them. He's already bigger than you. Is he trying to humiliate you?" Violet was rapidly approaching hysterical. Nothing was making sense, and that frightened her.

Dodger gave his sister a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. "If he thinks he's going to humiliate me, he's got another thing coming, little sister." With that, Dodger turned and entered the fighting area. _I'm probably going to need a new skull after this, though._

Littlefoot fixed his stare upon Dodger as he took in the sights and smells of the moment. It pained him to act so coldly to his counterpart, but he knew what honor demanded of him in that moment. He had been given preferential treatment in the fight by starting late in the same manner that Thud had, as pack leaders started from a position of advantage to show that their underlings fighting them were doing so as a competition, and not as a formal challenge. However, this made the current situation all the more difficult for him. It meant that if he were beaten here then Dodger would not have only caused a dispute with one of his packmates, but he also would have humiliated him in front of his pack as well. This would be an unacceptable outcome for him. In fact, he thought glumly, he might as well give the leadership to Cera or Chomper at that point. If he couldn't defend the honor of his packmates then he owed it to them to let someone at the helm who could do the job. It was with this in mind that he acted next.

"Still remaining silent?" he asked in a blunt fashion. It was an obvious reference to his unwillingness to speak earlier when he asked what the dispute was between himself and Ducky.

"I don't remember you asking the same of Haven, sir," Dodger said as calmly as he could. It was pretty close to being completely disrespectful, regardless of his tone, but he wasn't about to just tell his part of the tale while Ducky escaped with her dignity intact.

"That is a matter for myself and my packmates to attend to," Littlefoot responded cooly. His facial expression now had a tenseness to it that appeared almost feral. It was obvious that Littlefoot was fighting back his emotions at the moment. Though he was angry at Dodger, most of his anger was directed at the entire situation. But he couldn't attack a situation. He could attack the fastbiter that stood before him. "Any last words before we do this?"

Dodger bit back a very long series of insults that weren't so much directed at Littlefoot as they would have been an expression of just how little faith he had in the other pack leader's ability to deal with Ducky even if she had been directly involved in an attack and he'd done nothing but defend himself. _Violet also doesn't need to hear any of that._ Instead, Dodger just shook his head. He wasn't entirely sure he could control his tongue once he started talking at this point.

Littlefoot merely nodded slightly as he shifted into a fighting stance. "So be it."

* * *

Littlefoot considered his opponent with some concern. It wasn't that Dodger was particularly strong or fast, but it was the, for the lack of a better term, "leader-ness" of his opponent that had him disturbed. It was a trait that he had seen in himself, in Thud, and, to a lesser extent, in Ruby and Cera. The ability to read their opponents and exploit their traits. It was something that he would have to be mindful of.

 _Come on… attack me you arrogant bastard!_

Dodger held his position for a moment longer. Apparently deciding that waiting further was pointless he rushed in completely appearing to make an attack on Littlefoot's right but truly intending on jumping to the fastbiter's then exposed left at the last moment.

Acting purely on instinct, Littlefoot shifted into the attack deciding to meet Dodger's claws with his own outstretched feet. It was an incredibly aggressive strategy that nearly ended in disaster as Dodger's head barely missed ramming into Littlefoot's exposed stomach, instead hitting his hip and causing the elder fastbiter to roll back on his feet. In response, Littlefoot resumed his circling, internally cursing his missed opportunity.

 _Damn it! The last thing I need to do is to show him my strategy without even getting a fucking point!_

Dodger feigned a rush and quickly pulled back. He immediately followed this up with the real thing, intending to continue normally as last time, but this time he intended to drop and try to knock the other pack leader off his feet with his tail. For this to work perfectly, he would need to roll completely back on his feet quickly regardless of the attack's effectiveness and exploit any opportunities created.

 _You have to be shitting me…_ Littlefoot thought in a hurried frenzy as the other fastbiter began to rush towards him again. In that moment he knew that he had to decide on the best course of action, preferably one that would not provide his opponent momentum to use against him. That was when he saw the fastbiter ever so slightly look down.

 _Gotcha._

He jumped.

Nearly turned sideways as he prepared to drop Dodger jumped away and let what could have been a messy landing turn himself back towards Littlefoot. As soon as he was turned back around he leapt at his opponent.

 _Damn this all!_ Littlefoot now decided to use the ground strategy and kick upwards towards his quickly falling opponent. Even if it resulted in a point from the opposition, he wanted to make him pay for it.

 **Crash!**

Littlefoot slowly regained full awareness as he rolled upon the hard ground. He felt his feet collide with Dodger's stomach and also felt the tell-tale sensation of another head colliding with his 's voice confirmed the situation a few moments later.

" **Split point. One to one."** His lack of enthusiasm was now obvious compared to the previous fights. Chomper realized that this was now more of a duel than a friendly spar.

 _Well… I'm not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me on my back._ Littlefoot fumed as he rose shakily to his feet. The next round was about to begin.

* * *

"We have to do something!" Violet hissed as her talons dug into the hard ground. She could not bear to watch much more of this fight. She had already seen the tranquility of Seeker's pack turn cold in an instant, and now she saw a fastbiter that she had learned to both respect and fear kick her brother in the stomach. She had no idea what to do anymore. She just wanted the madness to end.

"There's nothing we can do. Do you want to embarrass Dodger by stopping the fight?" Tracker asked, frustration at the whole situation evident in her voice. _Now you know what it feels like to be truly helpless, Violet. I'd rather not introduce you to anything else I've been trying to keep from hurting you, so please get a hold of yourself or I'll get someone to do it for you._ Tracker took a deep calming breath. She needed it.

Violet shook despite Tracker's words. "Why is this happening?" She had a hard time believing that her brother, or Haven, for that matter, could have caused such a divisive rift to form between the packs. Now all of Littlefoot's packmates were in one area, whereas Thud's were in another. All other battles apparently having been forgotten for the time being. Her and Tracker were alone with their agitation, watching a battle whose ending they could not foresee.

"We defend those we're closest to," Tracker replied, explaining without really explaining. She really didn't want to get into this with Violet. She'd either be mad at her brother or want to take Ducky on herself if she knew the whole thing. Neither were good options.

"So then we should defend Dodger," Violet offered as a shout from Chomper confirmed that Littlefoot had gotten a point on Dodger with a tail strike to his face. A modest attack but one that still caused the agitation in her belly to grow further.

Violet's last comment finally went past Tracker's ability to remain calm and not react. "Violet," Tracker said in a surprisingly dangerous tone, grabbing her friend's head and forcing her to look her in the eye, "If you care about your brother and don't want to make him look weak, you will sit there and be silent unless directly addressed until this is _over_. Do you understand me?" She wasn't going to release her friend until she got an answer.

Violet quaked under the gaze of the sole source of stability that she had at the moment. To have Tracker effectively berate her and pull rank was psychologically devastating. It was all that she could do to quickly nod and close her eyes to avoid showing her distress. She had gone from intense desire to do anything to effectively shutting down. She would simply surrender to the situation and see where it led her. It wasn't like she had any choice.

" **Point for Dodger. It is two to two."**

* * *

"This is hard to watch. Seeker just got kicked in the fucking face."

Cera could only make a snarky reply to that, "Yes, Taunt, we know. We all have eyes too, you know?" But the usual humor was gone in her voice. She was just as concerned as the others.

"This is horrible, but I fear it could get worse," Spike noted with some urgency, "What are we to do if, well, you know…"

"It turns into an actual challenge?" Ruby offered, "It won't come to that, Finder."

"How can you be sure? It isn't like this entire situation hasn't turned into a huge mess in an instant," Breeze questioned.

"Dodger blames himself for everything. Haven't you seen how he has reacted since he has been here? He almost has been Seeker's shadow the entire time," Taunt finally burst out, "I think this is mainly about saving face for him… he won't challenge."

The others were silent for a moment as Petrie landed nearby, his eyes still fixed on the match despite obviously moving to get within earshot of his friends.

"This not good! Any idea why this happen? They act like enemies, but me know they not."

Spike sighed. "Dodger and my sister had a fight, as I am sure you noticed. No one decided to speak to him about what caused it, so now Seeker is pissed at Dodger."

Ruby looked down. "I should have told him what it was about…"

Cera glared at her. "Was it your fight?"

Ruby looked at her with surprise. "No, but…"

Cera nodded. "Then it wasn't your story to tell. You know how these things work, Ponder."

Ruby shook her head as she looked at the fight with more than a little despair. "But this is stupid and hopeless. It is hopelessly stupid. Seeker likes Dodger. I know that he doesn't want to do this."

Breeze simply looked at Taunt with a knowing expression. Before they had been packmates in Seeker's pack they had been packmates in Skytail's pack, and as such they knew how these things had to proceed.

"This simply has to run its course, Ponder. Then we will help pick up the pieces," Breeze finally spoke, "That is what friends are for."

Murmured affirmations were given as everyone continued to watch the fight before them. The only question was: in what shape would their leader be by the time the battle was done?

* * *

 _Never thought being close to winning would actually be problematic,_ Dodger thought almost distractedly as his fight with Littlefoot continued, _I have no clue what that might mean outside of these fights, but I know this is my last no matter what. I've got nothing left for another one._ He knew he was tiring, and his injuries were just making the situation worse. Despite being one strike from potential victory Dodger was on the defensive, trying to avoid further serious injury. _Why is nothing ever simple?_

Littlefoot approached the fastbiter with another series of slashed attacks with his claws. He now seemed almost possessed, as if the thought of losing was worse than death for him at this point. His eyes communicated a craze that he had only seen once before.

The time when he had fought Prowler.

He'd quickly figured out that his former friend didn't care if he killed him as long as he won the fight. Seeing the same look in Littlefoot's eyes nearly panicked Dodger and put him in complete defensive mode. _If I give him an opening I won't be surprised if he tries to break something._

It did not take long for Littlefoot to try to seek out an opening once more. This time he lunged at his counterpart's neck with bared teeth while simultaneously striking at his chest with his two hind feet. It was an all-or-nothing attack. One that was surprisingly reckless and desperate from the pack leader.

Dodger let himself take the hit in the chest but made a point of hitting Littlefoot in the jaw, or at least trying to. He missed, but it gave his opponent pause. _Want to try that again, Seeker? Are the rules irrelevant now? I thought we weren't supposed to used teeth?_

" **Point for Seeker. It is now four to four."** Chomper intoned with the same demeanor that one would expect from someone narrating a funeral. It seemed just as nonplussed by the attack as Dodger was.

"Surprised you fell for that." Littlefoot muttered as he rubbed his jaw.

"Whatever you say, sir." Dodger didn't believe the pack leader for a moment. He hadn't tried a single biting attack himself the entire time in any of his three fights. He had assumed that meant fake biting attacks as well.

"This will be for the game," Chomper said in a tired voice as he gestured for them to spread out, "Begin."

* * *

"This is getting dangerous now," Leap spoke with great concern, "What in the hell was that?"

Thud twisted his mouth as he considered the situation. "He is facing a new opponent and doesn't know how to respond, but yet he can't fail here and save face. In that situation you use everything at your disposal. Even if it is a dirty trick."

Swift nodded. "All is fair in battle."

Leap grunted. "If this was a battle then Dodger would already be dead."

Thud nodded. "All the more reason to ensure that it doesn't turn into a battle. If Seeker loses and they go at it, I want you to do exactly as I say…"

Both Swift and her brother looked at their pack leader oddly. It was Leap that finally answered, "Anything you say, sir. But what do you have in mind?"

Thud spit on the ground as if the idea he were about to say left a bitter taste in his mouth. "In that case Seeker would be in a bad position, and technically Dodger could make a challenge, which the others would not allow… but if I made a challenge I could give either of them pause."

Swift blinked. "You wouldn't!"

Thud nodded. "Of course I wouldn't! But it would be enough for them to focus on something other than themselves for a moment. Then cooler heads could pull them apart." He shook his head. "But hopefully it doesn't come to that. Hopefully they both walk away and get checked by a healer."

As he said this the obvious form of Ruby could be seen entering the area with a handful of healing plants. She was joined by another green fastbiter, who likewise laid the healing plants down on the ground. It was a green fastbiter who looked noticeably upset. The angry form of Cera and Ruby only confirmed the source of her angst.

 _Good… well at least she realizes the trouble she has caused._

Thud gestured to his two packmates. "Get behind me, pack. Let's at least stand at attention for what is about to come."

* * *

 _So it comes down to this…_

Littlefoot gritted his teeth. He simply could not lose this fight. He would have let his packmate down, and betrayed his own reputation. He was the fastbiter that had bested Calin. He had been the fastbiter who led the pack to victory on numerous occasions. But yet here he was being one point away from defeat from an upstart. Had peace defeated him to such an extent that he could be bested by a novice? As much as he didn't want to admit it to himself, this was now as much about ego as it was about his packmate's honor.

In that moment he could not see that the 'novice' in front of him was a fellow fastbiter who had been trained by misfortune to be a fearless fighter. His arrogance and fear of shame had driven him into a place where there was no escape. Every fastbiter had its weakness, and in that moment Littlefoot had found his.

Pride.

He awaited an opening from his opponent. Any opening. The only thing that mattered right now was victory, and that would not be stripped from him.

Dodger finally went on the offensive to give himself some breathing room. He really only had enough strength for one major attack, but he would need a very good opening. As it was he went at Littlefoot with a standard set of kicks and strikes, never going more than three strikes at a time before withdrawing. Getting a bit more creative he stopped attacking towards point-awarding targets and went for Littlefoot's leg, trying to unbalance him.

 _He's getting tired. This can be used to my advantage…_ Littlefoot retreated backwards while keeping his face towards his opponent. He just needed to get him into the right position…

Littlefoot smirked ever so slightly. He knew just the spot. With an almost sprinting gait, he propelled himself towards the left corner of the fighting area.

Dodger turned and followed Littlefoot with his eyes. _Oh, I see what you're trying to do, Seeker. I might just turn that back on you._ He advanced on Littlefoot's position, intending to back him into the tree and pummel him until he got a real hit in. _Okay, so this is do or die. Well, hopefully not_ die _…_ He rushed his opponent.

Littlefoot smiled. _Gotcha._

As Dodger collided with his adversary, Littlefoot allowed himself to fall over onto his back and let the other fastbiter's momentum carry him Littlefoot the ground. Then, with the same basic maneuver Dodger had worked against Taunt, he firmly kicked his feet into Dodger's stomach, forcing him airborne and straight into the tree that loomed above him.

 **Crash!**

Littlefoot lay on the ground for several moments, waiting for the signal from Chomper that he had finally won the match, and kept some of his dignity intact. Instead, however, only stunned silence and a gasp reached his ears. That was when he finally allowed himself to rise and look at his handiwork. His satisfaction evaporated immediately.

Dodger lay under the tree in a prone position and his eyes closed. It was as if the fastbiter were in a deep sleep. Suddenly all thoughts of victory left his mind.

 _Oh Mother, what have I done?_

* * *

 **The present:**

Mender approached the two fastrunners somewhat awkwardly, not entirely sure why Detras wanted her. She didn't need to look behind her to know that Orchid was close behind. It was Arial's distant voice that spoke first, however.

"Dad, what are you doing?!"

Detras gestured towards Mender as looked towards Nahoda. It was as if he had not heard his daughter. "Mender, if it isn't too much trouble I would like to borrow your sniffer."

"Okay..." Mender replied, "What for?" _You're sniffer's probably better than mine, but if you want my help..._

The elder fastrunner detected her unease. "There is one thing that even the worst fastbiter sniffer is better at than a fastrunner's, and that is detecting fear…" He looked sideways at Nahoda who was now trying to appear calm, but failing miserably. "...and if someone is telling the truth. Care to be a truth-finder for a moment?"

Mender just nodded her acquiescence.

It was at that moment that Arial's sprinting body arrived on the scene. It took her brother and the hidden runners to prevent her from rushing Nahoda as Mender advanced.

"It's okay, sis!" Orchid desperately tried to calm his sister, "Mender's not going to hurt him!"

"Then why…"

"He is checking for the truth, dear," Cynnil clarified.

"Could you please be quiet for a moment?" Mender asked the onlookers. _I can't focus like this._

It was then that Mender finally took a long look at the smaller male. His eyes were wide open and fearful, but his facial expression was as calm as he could muster. It was as if he were trying to appear brave for the sake of his audience. The slight tremor in his legs and the rapid twitch of his tail gave away his inner apprehension, however.

"Hello, Mender. I hope this goes better than our first meeting," Nahoda offered with fake bravado. His words were kind, but she could tell that his attempt at humor was for the sake of the nearby female fastrunner.

"Just hold still a moment, Nahoda," Mender said, somewhat ignoring the fastrunner's words in favor of getting the task done more quickly.

"Alright." Detras walked over to Mender's side as he rubbed his hands together. "Nahoda, is it true that you had no ill intentions for my daughter?"

The fastrunner did not hesitate. "It is true. I love Arial."

"He's not lying," Mender said after a few moments. _He could really use a bath, though._

"And is it true…" Detras began again, pacing, "That you thought that my daughter was interested in you because she pounced on you?"

Nahoda became defensive. "She is interested in me! She just needed to know me better."

"And how many times has she seen you to get to know you better?"

Nahoda looked embarrassed. "Um… well it stopped after the two-footers got into…"

Detras repeated himself, "How many times?"

"I don't know… twelve, maybe?"

"He's mostly telling the truth," Mender said carefully, "I'm not sure whether he's just unsure about the number or if he doesn't want to say the real one."

Nahoda relented with a sigh, "It was nearly every night until the two-footers came. She helped me to find scaly swimmers." He looked up at Arial with an apologetic expression at telling their secret.

Mender turned to Detras and nodded her confirmation.

Arial stepped forward against the protests of her mother, who had now arrived. "Dad, that is enough! We can tell you…"

"Two more questions." Detras looked at his children, ignoring Nahoda entirely. "Did my children cause the rockslide, and did you tackle me to save my life?"

Orchid looked sick. "Dad…"

 _This is not good..._ Mender thought.

Nahoda nodded his head. "Yes, on both counts. But, sir… I'm sure..."

"Your assessment, Mender?" Detras interrupted. He was now looking at nothing in particular. It was as if he were glaring at the sky. The scent of resignation washed over him like a rainstorm. A storm that Mender knew that her words would soon break.

"He's telling the truth," Mender said reluctantly. _I'm starting to see why Orchid was so upset._

The children did not dare move as their father's silence lingered for what seemed like an eternity. Not even Pearl dared advance for a moment, before finally walking to her mate's side. Only Mender's ears were sensitive enough to detect her words.

"They did it to protect someone that Arial loves, dear. They meant no harm to you. Let's go back to Hanging Rock and…"

"No."

Mender froze for a moment before moving a bit closer to Orchid and Arial. _Don't make me intervene, Detras._ She shifted her weight in preparation for a fight.

"Nahoda, you are blameless and worthy of my daughter's approval. When my daughter leaves our territory you are free to go with her." Detras spoke with a weary tone.

Even with just a short glance in his direction, Mender could tell that Nahoda's eyes were now brighter than they'd been just a moment ago. Most of her attention, however, remained firmly on Detras.

"As for the rest of you… please enjoy your meal. I'm afraid that I have lost my appetite."

The elderly male then walked, expressionless, past his children, ignoring a muted plea from his daughter. Pearl could only look on as her mate proceeded towards Hanging Rock, undoubtedly going to his thinking place as Ruby called it. There was certainly much to ponder on this day. As her daughter embraced Nahoda, it was only Orchid's words that broke the silence.

"Oh Mother, what have we done?"

* * *

 **Thanks for the reviews, everyone! I had intended on posting the new chapter on Wednesday or Thursday, but some medical issues on my end (ear infection and a rather severe reaction to a medication) delayed the posting until now. Thankfully, I seem to be almost back to my old self health-wise, and the next chapter should be expected in the next week or two.**

 **bryan mccloud** : Yeah, I didn't think of it that way, but Arial does have some of Chomper's old traits, such as the mischievousness. And your comments on Dodger truly bore fruit in this chapter. As for how the situation resolves, we will just have to wait and see... Littlefoot has defended his pride, but can he live with the consequences of that pride?

 **gordhanx** : Yep, Nahoda has quite a backstory, which in many ways is the typical story of a fastrunner male. The fact that Detras has not told his children to leave yet is a testament to the fact that he did not want to treat his children as he was treated when his parents laid new eggs. The Dodger scenes were also fun (and somewhat emotional) to write. One really has to feel for both Dodger and Tracker in that situation. But as for Arial not loving Nahoda... well... let's just say the rational part of her mind and the emotional part were at cross-purposes, as we saw in this chapter. She has quite a liking for the 'insufferable male'. d-;

 **DevoutRelic** : Don't worry I wasn't quite done torturing Nahoda just yet. d-; Though Detras now has confirmation that Nahoda is worth of his daughter's hand, he now must confront the fact that his children nearly (accidentally) killed him in their attempt to save Nahoda. Why the misconception was not immediately resolved, and what this means for the siblings, will be elaborated upon in the next few chapters. Additionally, if you ever want to PM me with any grammar mistakes you notice I would greatly appreciate it. Even with two authors sometimes small mistakes fall through the cracks. Thanks again for the kind words and your review. (:

 **Keijo6** : Thank you very much for the detailed review. The in-depth focus on relationships in this story is probably its greatest strength, but it is also something that Historian1912 and I will need to be cautious about, to ensure that the plot is not excessively slowed down or backtracked by the interpersonal focus. As for the level of technology, we will just have to wait and see. Let's just say that the 'present' portion of the story is going to slowly begin to be focused on more and more as the story develops. I only hope that this arrangement of having two stories in one united by certain themes works out in the end. Much like Songs of the Hunters this story is an experiment. I just hope it ends up being a successful one. Thanks again, and I look forward to your future reviews. (:

 **xPrimalHunterx** : How about I update a day earlier than that as an early gift? (-; Happy birthday!


	12. Chapter 11: Pondering One's Path

**-v-**

 **Chapter 11: Pondering one's path**

 **"In negotiations with known threats always speak in the language of peace and mutual understanding, but also make sure that your repressor is fully charged."**

 _ **Corollary to precept number 3,**_

 _ **Essential Precepts of Consortium Operations**_

* * *

Nahoda could only cradle Arial's head as she tried to process what had just transpired. Despite the fact that her father had given his blessing to their relationship, it still felt like he had stabbed a spear into his gut. Were the siblings effectively exiled now, like he was? Had he only known from the beginning what was going on then he could have done things differently. If only...

Not everyone seemed so bothered by the recent turn of events. Once Detras had left, Mender had no problem following his suggestion to eat.

Nahoda sighed awkwardly and began to prepare to speak, but soon realized that he had no idea what to say. Mender seemed to hear his attempt, however, and merely gave him a glare that communicated volumes.

I'm eating this fish since I can't eat you. Got a problem with it? Good.

The feast continued as if it had never stopped as Nahoda looked helplessly at Pearl.

"I… should go talk to your father." Pearl's voice was soft, yet agitated. Even she could not force a reassuring statement under these circumstances.

"I can leave in the morning unless he wants me to leave sooner."

Nahoda heard Orchid's voice, and his heart immediately sank. This was confirmation to him of the worst. Orchid would soon have to make the same journey that he did. The journey to live on one's own.

"Dear…" Pearl placed a hand on her son's feathered back as he refused to meet her gaze. "You are an adult now. You have been one since Dein and Terri used us. If it is time for you to make your journey, you won't have to go alone."

Nahoda now had the courage to speak up, "That's right! You could follow us… there is safety in numbers." He didn't look at his companion for confirmation, as her embrace said it all.

Pearl turned towards the male and merely smiled sadly. "That's kind of you, dear. I am sure Orchid can take care of himself, but it is nice to have support." she paused. "But I will talk some sense into your father, children; there is no need for…"

"It's time, Mother."

Pearl stared at her son with a befuddled expression. Nahoda's reaction matched her own.

"It's been time for a long time. I just don't want Dad to me angry at me…" he sighed and shook his head as he began to walk to the stream.

"Wait, Orchid!"

But the purple fastrunner did not stop at his mother's call. In his wake she could only shake her head sadly. With a final glance towards the couple behind her she gestured for them to eat. Then she too departed, presumably to speak to her mate.

Just like my mother, Nahoda thought sardonically, Stopping my father mid-chase to make sure that I had dinner before he chased me off.

Nahoda didn't notice the fastbiter glaring at him.

* * *

 _Why didn't I eat him when I had the chance?_ Mender wondered, _If Nahoda were dinner then none of this would've happened. Or if I couldn't smell at all Detras couldn't have ever known about half of this._ She took a glance around and saw Arial and Nahoda walking off in the direction Orchid had left. _But if I had killed Nahoda that would've hurt Arial. Augh. I thought the days of everything being confusing were over._

"Ah, I know that look…"

"Huh?" Mender looked at Cynnil, startled out of her thoughts, "Oh. What look?"

Buse imitated the look in such an exaggerated manner that it had overtones of Taunt's handiwork. "The 'I am overthinking about overthinking' look."

Cynnil rolled her eyes but did not contradict her tact-challenged packmate. "You are not to blame for any of this, Mender."

"If I'd been just a bit faster we wouldn't have had to deal with all this," Mender replied, feeling a need to voice her thoughts, "Nahoda wouldn't be around to bring any of this up."

Cynnil shook her head. "...and Arial would be without her love. It seemed that she didn't truly realize the extent of her feelings until he was nearly taken away. Would that have been better, Mender? You fix her leg, but then kill her heart?"

"I wouldn't know," Mender replied before muttering, "I'm never gonna know."

"She made her choice, and so did he." Cynnil did not clarify which 'he' she was referring to, "I am sure Orchid will be fine. He already seems to be ready to leave."

"Why is he sad?" Mender asked, "I know things aren't that great but..." She shrugged helplessly.

"He loves his father, obviously. I imagine that he has always tried to live up to his expectations and to win his approval. But now he fears that he has thrown all of that away," Cynnil spoke in a faraway voice, "I guess both of us can relate to that, huh?"

Mender just nodded in reply.

Buse looked confused. "I don't understand."

"I guess you'll hear the story sooner or later, but for now what are we going to do with all of this?" Mender asked, gesturing all around her.

Cynnil was silent for several moments as she brought her clawed appendage to her beak, deep in thought.

"I think that I may have an idea…"

* * *

 **The past:**

Tracker just stared at what she'd just seen. She could hardly comprehend it. _Please don't be dead. Please don't be dead._ She turned to look at Violet, realizing that her friend would be just as if not more distraught.

Violet apparently had had enough of the day. Seeing her brother dying, as far as she knew, was just one event too much. One second she was staring at her brother's prone form. The next the ground was rushing up to meet her.

 _Great, she fainted,_ Tracker thought with only a hint of sarcasm, _Maybe I'll find a way to tell her when she wakes up._ Finally unable to take it anymore, Tracker got up and rushed to her mate's side.

"Healers… we need healers now!" Littlefoot's voice rang out as a sudden flurry of movement could be seen around the entire scene. Ruby was the first to arrive, as Cera came with healing leaves and an unsure expression on her face. Taunt, meanwhile, looked just as shocked as Littlefoot. He suspected that Dodger was dead as well.

Tracker reluctantly got out of the healers' way. Unable to keep watching she searched for something to distract her. Unfortunately, her eyes fell on Littlefoot. _Why you_ _bastard._ _I'd kill you if I could._ The only thing keeping Tracker from completely losing control was just how aware she was of her own lack of fighting abilities. She tore her gaze away and hurried back to check on Violet before she made things worse. _What do I do now?_

"He's breathing!" came an excited reply from Ruby as she kept her ear on his chest, "No, no, Stern Claw! We should not move his head. Head injury."

For a moment Tracker elated. _He's alive!_ However, Ruby's next words left her feeling sick. "Not again. Not Dodger. What if he forgets me?" she sobbed into her hands. She couldn't take much more of this. _I can't do this on my own._ Tracker hadn't felt this helpless since she'd been taken captive by Calin's pack. _What do I do now? Augh! This is why I'm never going to be a pack leader. At this rate I might never be a parent either._

"Tracker?"

"What?" Tracker demanded. Her eyes bored into Ducky. "You happy now?" Tracker shook with barely controlled fury. She knew she was lashing out at everyone, but she didn't know what else to do. For the moment, the one fastbiter she knew she could always count on was gone.

"You should talk to your mate. Back when… when we thought Seeker was dying when Calin slashed his throat… Ponder spoke to him, and he remembered that. So speak to him… let him know he still has people waiting for him down here." The implication was clear: make sure he knows he has friends down here, lest he join his ancestors.

Tracker didn't bother replying. She headed towards Dodger's side so fast she nearly tripped Ducky with her tail in the process. _No, Dodger. Don't leave me here alone._

"That was a terrible hit!" Taunt hissed as he inspected the scene, "Our vines can't protect against that." His dialogue matched the discussions of several of the others.

"What can we do with a head injury? Should we send a message to the rainbowfaces?"

"They wouldn't get the message until… this resolves itself one way or another…"

Littlefoot merely looked down as he considered his actions. Technically his hit was legal and fair under the rules of such a spar, but he knew deep down that his motivations in that moment were not noble in the way he demanded of himself. The bitterness in his belly only grew, as it had a new target: himself.

"Seeker, are you alright?"

Littlefoot looked up at Thud with a surprised expression.

"What are you talking about? He is the one that you should be concerned about. What in the heck was I thinking?"

This earned him a firm slap on the shoulder from the green fastbiter, which the rest of Littlefoot's pack would have responded to if they had not been focused on the stricken fastbiter in front of him.

"Look… I know that you are pissed at yourself right now, and I know that you are upset that you let your pride lead you. It happens to all of us… but look at the situation right now, Seeker…" Thud's voice went from the soft, barely audible tone to an equally soft, yet sinister, hiss, "Dodger is down, and your pack doesn't have a leader right now because he is sitting here looking dumbfounded. So for the love of sanity, snap out of your pity party and give some fucking orders, because I don't know how to treat a fucking head injury!"

This finally snapped Littlefoot out of his state enough to give some orders.

"Alright, everyone! We need to take off our vines to make that thing we built for Taunt when he had the broken leg!" he then turned to a stunned Ruby, "We need to get him near water to clean his wounds. Lead the way, Ponder!"

Ruby paused for a moment before quickly relaying further instructions to the others. Within moments the beginnings of a transport was being built for Dodger, as Leap and Swift noticeably kept themselves in between Littlefoot and Tracker, while Thud quickly sniffed Violet.

"What about this one?" Thud asked with more than a little concern.

"What do you mean?" Tracker asked, her tone a bit defensive. She still hadn't calmed down all the way. _What is wrong with me? I'm acting like Violet on a bad day._

Thud tilted his head. "Does she need a healer? She is down as well."

"She fainted. She should be fine in a little while. I don't know what I'm going to tell her when she wakes up," Tracker replied, sounding less and less confident with each sentence.

Ducky hesitated as she walked towards Thud. With an apologetic expression she turned towards Tracker. "I… I know that uh… that I did not help things earlier…" she admitted hesitantly, realizing that the person she needed to actually talk to about that was currently unconscious, "But Violet seemed to trust me when we talked earlier… maybe I should talk to her when she wakes up so that you can be with your mate?" It was both a suggestion and a desperate plea for permission.

"Okay," Tracker sighed, "Okay, Haven. Keep her safe." _I'm not sure I can do that anymore. I shouldn't have yelled at her._ "No lying, though. She can't tell that by ear with you." _And I'm not sure her sniffer is going to do that well when she wakes up; she's not going to be able to concentrate._

Ducky could only nod as Tracker and the others headed towards the stream, with Dodger in tow in his cart made of vines. Dodger was in the hands of fate now.

None of them noticed Thud slow for a moment and tilt his head before following the others to the stream.

* * *

 _Ugh. What happened?_ Violet wondered, _Maybe I should ask Dodger… Wait!_ "Dodger!" Violet was now completely awake if a bit dizzy.

"Easy, Violet." Ducky's voice spoke in a low, calm tone, "The others are treating him right now."

"He's okay?" Violet asked, an almost desperate tone in her voice.

Ducky hesitated for a moment, as if contemplating how the violet fastbiter would react. "He… was still knocked out when the others took him to the stream… but he was still breathing, and Ponder seemed to think that he would be okay…" Despite Violet's lack of smell, she did not want to risk outright lying to the fastbiter. Hence, a guarded answer was what she decided upon.

"Can I see him?" Violet tried to stand up before sitting back down. _Okay, still sore._

Ducky gave her a hesitant look. "I think that you need to clear your head before we walk over there, but once you feel alright then we can head that way."

Violet did her best to be calm and clear her head. Thinking a bit on what had happened recently, she couldn't help but look at Ducky a bit oddly. "Haven, what happened between you and my brother?"

Ducky grew silent for several moments as she took a deep breath. Finally, staring at the distant stream, she began to speak in a hushed tone, "It happened before I was supposed to fight… we all were talking about things and watching the others fight." She gritted her teeth as a sudden burst of irritation hit her. "It was when Finder unexpectedly lost that Dodger said something that set me off…"

"What did he say?"

Ducky closed her eyes as she forced herself to keep her voice calm, "He said that he got some satisfaction from seeing my brother get hurt," her voice remained calm, but her eyes held a fury in them that Violet had never before seen from the fastbiter, "We all put such things beside us when we took you all in, the idea that he still held such a grudge…"

A soft growl escaped Ducky's throat, but she promptly tried to bring herself under control. She realized that it was both foolish and unlike her to remain angry at someone who was now injured himself, but the perceived insult still stung. No one wished harm upon her brother. No one.

Violet did her best to remain calm. "No one just drops things, Haven, except maybe Tracker. Prowler never did." Violet took a deep breath, somewhat afraid of what Ducky might say to what she said next. "It took me a whole day to stop glaring at you."

Ducky sighed. "Yeah… I noticed. I just wish…" she shook her head, "Alliances cannot be built on lingering resentment, Violet. You did stop glaring at me, even though I was the one who nearly killed your friend. Why did you do that?"

"You helped fix what you did, and I would have reacted the same way." A thought occurred to her. Dodger never acted without reason. "What _exactly_ did Dodger say?"

Ducky spoke in a clipped tone, trying to control her anger at the whole incident, "Ponder had mentioned that my brother would be sore after the throw he took, to which Dodger said that he could not help but think he deserved that, and that he was sorry that he didn't get to do it."

An odd thought occurred to Violet. "Do you remember what happened when your brother and mine fought? How Tracker described it?"

Ducky nodded. "I do. Finder was very forceful because he thought we were being invaded."

"Remember how Tracker got hurt? Well, nearly got hurt before she really got hurt?"

Ducky looked at Violet oddly but merely shook her head. "I am sorry, but I do not remember that part of the story." _I was mainly upset about our terrible mistake._

"Well, Dodger is protective of Tracker, almost as much as he is of me." Violet knew that her brother was practically paranoid about her. "He's never let an injury towards her go unanswered before."

"And I am protective of my brother," Ducky stated plainly, "I was the one who insisted on taking him in when we found his egg hatching alone, and we have looked after one another ever since."

"And you responded to a truly minor injury to him by nearly murdering my best friend while still condemning my brother for being angry at Finder." Violet grabbed her head. "Ugh. I'm so confused."

"I nearly killed Tracker because I thought she was a threat to the pack, and threats tend to come back unless you see to it that they **do not** ," Ducky fumed, "But what did we do when we realized you were not a threat to us? We stopped, and we tried to make amends. I forgave Tracker for her actions, why couldn't Dodger do the same?"

Ducky shook her head. "Maybe I am being too hard on all of you, but to hear someone who is an ally wish ill on one of your own… well… it is like a betrayal. I **do not** take kindly to that." Ducky grew silent as she glared in the direction of a nearby tree, but instead seemed to stare through it. Her trembling limbs only added to the non-verbal signals that were being sent. She was angry beyond words, but more than that she was upset at the entire situation. Upset at Dodger's reaction… upset at Violet's inability to understand… and upset at herself for letting it get to her.

"I don't… If Dodger truly wished real harm on your brother he would have found a way to hurt him long before now." That Violet knew for a fact.

Ducky nodded after a pause. "I realize that… but I could not let that comment stand. My brother's honor demanded that I act. As a swimmer I could have worked things out through words, but it is different for us fastbiters, it is, it is."

"Haven, could you answer me something?" Violet asked, nearly shifting topics. If her question was answered a certain way she might have a point to make. If not, at least she would not be confused about something.

Ducky nodded. "Of course."

"Dodger had been through two fights before the fight between him and Seeker. Thud went through only one fight, and I'm guessing there would be another fight for him later. I kinda understand that Seeker would fight last, but why was Dodger fighting first, like the rest of us?"

Ducky paused for a moment, "Oh, of course, you would not know our tradition on this. Well… the only time that a dinosaur would fight a leader normally is during a challenge. Between packmates this is not an issue, but when other pack leaders are involved… well…" Ducky threw up her hands, "Thud and Seeker decided, after a particularly brutal sparring match that pack leaders should not fight another pack leader to avoid… well… having one of the pack leaders to lose face to the other one… instincts are a powerful thing."

That was when Violet's words registered in her mind. " _Why was Dodger fighting first, like the rest of us?"_

"Oh. Oh…" Ducky muttered, "I guess that was a mistake… Dodger and Seeker both couldn't bear to lose that fight… Stupid! We should have thought of that!"

"So you insulted my brother, and he didn't say a word about it," Violet said slowly, trying to figure things out, "I'm never going to understand this stuff, am I?"

Ducky snorted despite herself. "You know, Violet, sometimes I wish that I did not understand this stuff. It would have saved me a lot of trouble today. But… but I think that you might be able to help me… well…" Ducky fidgeted oddly. "Talk to Dodger without having to act in the way that I did today."

"I can try," Violet said, "You know, Haven, I think Dodger might have finally started to relax a bit." She laughed slightly. "Well, before he got hurt. Usually _I'm_ the one that says something that probably shouldn't have been said."

Ducky's expression suddenly fell as the full implications of what she may have helped to stunt came to light. _He was just beginning to relax, and look at what I did…_ "When Dodger wakes up, could you give him a message from me?"

"Um, okay," Violet replied uncertainly. Ducky's reaction to her words had not been what she intended.

"Tell him that we both acted out of love to someone else, and our honors clashed as a result. I do not regret defending my brother's honor, and I know he does not regret defending his mate's, but if he is willing to talk under truce, then I am willing to do the same," Ducky spoke in a very formal tone that seemed to command obedience, "Can you please tell him that word-for-word, Violet? For obvious reasons, I cannot do it myself, and I think he needs to hear the offer from someone in his pack."

"Yes, ma'am," Violet replied in response to Ducky's tone, "Word for word."

Ducky was taken slightly aback by Violet's odd tone, but had little time to contemplate the matter as suddenly the sound of flapping wings could be heard. It was Petrie.

"Violet, Haven! Dodger is awake! The pack carry him to the sleeping area now!"

"Really?" Violet nearly started towards the sleeping area before stopping in her tracks. She looked at Ducky as if asking for permission.

Ducky smiled slightly as if to comfort the fastbiter. "Go on. Be with your packmates."

Violet smiled in thanks before running off as fast as she could.

 _I wonder what that was about. She almost looked at me like I was a pack leader or something._ Ducky thought to herself, _I cannot tell Seeker what happened… it is a matter between Dodger and me… but maybe I can let him know that I am trying to fix it._

Ducky then walked away as well, heading in the direction of the stream. She would try to reflect upon the events of the day and then confront whatever would come next.

* * *

"You feeling alright, Dodger?" Tracker asked. It was a dumb question, but her mind had gone blank for a moment.

Dodger growled slightly as he clutched his head. Every word sounded like a thunderbolt to him, though the pain had begun to die down, "I feel like I fought a spiketail, and the spiketail won."

"Oh." _He's probably still got a headache._ Tracker clamped her mouth shut, realizing talking might be unpleasant. She started to back away.

"What happened to me anyway?" Dodger asked in a soft hiss. It was obvious that he was trying to keep his voice down. _I remember Ponder saying something, and Stern Claw telling me to rest a while… but what happened before that?_

"You hit a tree," Tracker said quietly after returning to her original position.

Dodger snorted slightly, before groaning in pain at that action, "I hit… a tree. Did I challenge a tree to a fight or something?"

"You and Seeker were sparring, and things got intense." Tracker really didn't know how to talk about the fight. She desperately wanted to avoid giving the wrong impression, "What do you remember?"

Dodger blinked, "I remember… you told me to not do anything to Leap… and…" he thought hard for a moment before shaking his head, "Just bits and pieces after that… odd things…"

Spurred on by Dodger's mention of Leap, Tracker asked the question she'd been wanting to ask for a while. "You said something to Leap before your fight with him. Do you remember what it was?" She wasn't trying to completely ignore Dodger's situation, but thinking about it too much hurt.

Dodger looked horrified for a moment at the prospect of him fighting Leap, but that was when the memory popped into his head.

 _Dodger practically got in Leap's face so he could drop his voice low enough to try to give them a bit of privacy. "I know what you did. All of it... " he whispered, nearly hissing._

 _Leap grew still. He was certain he was dead at this point. Oh shit..._

" _I also know you and your brother helped Tracker when no one else would…" Dodger sighed, steeling himself for what he was about to say. For Tracker._

 _Leap forced himself to stay silent, as he was now uncertain where Dodger was going with this. For despite Tracker's act of forgiveness, he didn't really forgive himself. He always felt that he was tainted by his actions. The fact that everyone in the pack had been forced to do horrible things did not change those feelings. The only thing that radiated from him besides fear was the unmistakable scent of shame._

" _For that I can only say 'thank you'. Tracker's willing to forgive you; who am I to contradict my mate in such a manner? Let's leave the past where it belongs." That last part was as much for himself as for Leap. "Good luck out there, Leap." With that Dodger stepped back and moved to his starting point._

"I remember… I forgave him… I forgave him and wished him luck. It… was hard." Dodger finally admitted.

Tracker's mouth hung open in shock. She forcibly closed it before breaking into a smile. "That… that's wonderful." She moved to hug her mate before stopping herself, fearing she might cause him more pain, leaving her sitting there, radiating uncertainty.

"I… it is odd… I don't remember the fight… but… when I think of him…" he noticeably struggled to think, "I don't feel so angry… but I feel angry at Haven instead… and I don't know why. What happened there?"

"I don't know," Tracker admitted; that was mostly true. She had an idea about what happened thanks to what Spike told her, but she was missing so much information she didn't dare give her mate such a poor explanation. "It might be best to ask Ponder. She was closer to you two when, well… just ask her. I don't want to tell you something that isn't true." _I wish I were of more help._

"Thanks, dear… I will make sure to ask her. But..what did you see and hear? I didn't put us in a bad light, did I?" Dodger looked almost horrified at the idea, "I didn't upset Seeker?"

Tracker tried to hide her panic. _There are no good answers here._ "Before you got hurt, things were, um, uh, not the best. Now, I'm not so sure." Tracker couldn't bring herself to give her mate the details.

Dodger's expression fell. _What on earth did I do?_

"I'm sorry," he said to no one in particular. He did not want to ruin the relationship between the only friendly pack that he had found. The idea of becoming an adversary to Littlefoot also horrified him. It almost felt like betrayal. The very non-committal answer of his mate had said it all in his mind: he had caused an irreparable break. He had once again failed as a leader and his packmates would suffer for it, "Why can't I ever get things right?"

"How can you say that? We never would have even gotten this far without you. _I_ wouldn't be _alive_ without you." Tracker could never figure out why her mate always doubted himself. She trusted him with her life more than she trusted herself.

Dodger sighed, "I just… I don't know what I do wrong sometimes, you know?" Gone was the usual confident demeanor; he had let his guard down in front of his mate. "I never was able to teach Violet what she needed to know. I wasn't able to protect you. I didn't stand up to Prowler." _I barely know what I'm doing_ , he thought but absolutely refused to voice. Tracker was already looking worried. He didn't need to destroy what little faith in him she still might have.

"You did what you could," Tracker replied, "No one can ask for more than that."

Dodger nodded, but remained silent. His feeling of wanting to right whatever wrong may have been committed was only all the more intolerable by the fact that he could not remember what the wrong might have been. He only knew that if both Ducky and Littlefoot were mad at him then he must have screwed up badly.

"Dodger! You're up!" Violet's excited voice rang in Dodger's head, "Are… you feeling alright?"

"I'm okay," Dodger replied, immediately hiding whatever vulnerabilities he had shown his mate. There were some things that Violet should never see. "Are you alright?"

"Well… I am still a bit sore from fighting Ponder, but I am okay," she replied, leaving out the fainting from her description, "You don't have, um… any of my head problems, do you?" she spoke in hushed tones as if the mere mention of her memory problems could cause them in others.

"I'm having trouble remembering whatever happened after my fight with Leap," Dodger admitted. _Lying to Violet is almost always a very bad idea._ "Other than that, I'm fine," he added hastily.

Violet sighed in relief, before her expression suddenly turned serious. _Should I tell him what Haven said to me? Well… he did say that he doesn't remember anything after Leap's fight, but he and Ducky got angry before that… so…_

"What is it, Violet?" Tracker asked with some concern.

Violet bowed her head slightly, "Dodger? I bring a message from Haven. She wanted me to give it word-for-word." her voice had an odd formality to it, and her back was rigid. The entire situation made her nervous and uncertain. What if she did this wrong? What if she screwed up? What could that possibly do to her brother? "Do you want to hear it?"

Tracker looked from Violet to her mate worriedly. Neither had been acting entirely like themselves for the last little bit. However, she stayed quiet and let Dodger answer his sister without her interjections.

"Go ahead, Violet," Dodger said, trying to sound encouraging for his obviously nervous sister.

Violet nodded before exhaling nervously, "She says that both you and her acted out of love to someone else, and that your honors clashed as a result. She does not regret defending her brother's honor, and she realizes that you do not regret defending Tracker's, but if you are willing to talk under truce, then she is willing to do the same." After saying the entire message without interruption she then took a bow, as Ducky had showed her previously when she was being taught basic etiquette, and remained facing the ground until Dodger said his response. She did not consider that her brother may not have been taught that particular piece of etiquette yet.

Tracker looked alarmed and confused. She didn't understand some of it, but it sounded like Ducky was still angry. _I wonder why I was mentioned?_ She shrugged off the thought. It wasn't worth getting angry herself. _If she's trying to insult me it's not like I can do anything about it. Making a scene won't end well for me._

It took Dodger a moment to connect Violet's continued bow with Prowler's father's use of runners between himself and his own father when the pack had periodically split up. "Very well. I'll meet with her. Return here once you've delivered the message, Violet." _I'm going to need you as my second for this. You're a better fighter than Tracker and are not going to want to set anything off. That incident with your bullies is about to become very useful._

Violet rose and gave him a slight nod, "I am glad that you are alright, brother," then, either not being aware of etiquette after receiving a message or not caring, she embraced him gently before sprinting off. In many ways she was still the little sister who cared deeply for her older brother.

Dodger just smiled as he watched his sister depart. _I'm going to need to make sure she knows_ all _of the correct etiquette for this. She's surprisingly good at it._

"Well, that was informative. I didn't realize Violet knew what formality was," Dodger finally said. He refused to show any hint that he was worried. Tracker looked worried enough for both of them.

* * *

Littlefoot laid down in his sleeping area with an utterly exhausted expression. He had no idea how things had gotten so complicated in such a short span of time, but he had no doubt that poor management on his part had played its role. Now not only did he have Ducky and Dodger at one another's throats, but he also had his horrible overreaction in his battle with Dodger. Worse yet, relations between himself and his mate had been harmed because she refused to say anything concerning what had transpired. Technically, it wasn't Ruby's place to snitch, but that didn't make the fact that his mate had kept a secret from him any easier to take.

"...hey." Ruby softly answered from the other end of the sleeping area. The distance that she had placed between herself and him was obvious.

Littlefoot swallowed, as if he were about to poke a sleeping bellydragger, "Ponder, we need to talk."

"Oh now we need to talk, but when I tried to talk earlier you ignore me!" Ruby erupted as Littlefoot's passive-aggressive silence after her refusal to give information was well remembered by her, "Why should we talk now?!"

"When I needed you to talk to me you refused, so I refused to talk to you later!" Littlefoot growled, struggling to control his own emotions, "I need to know why one of my allies and one of my packmates are at one another's throats; it is a security issue!"

"It is also an honor issue!" Ruby pointed a finger at Littlefoot's chest, "It is Haven's story to tell, but not mine. Unlike the story that everyone else could see when you injured the other pack's leader! Were you mad that he nearly beat you despite fighting more than you? Were you afraid that we would make him our new leader because you aren't strong enough?"

Both fastbiters glared at one another for several moments after that exchange, but Ruby's eyes gave away her emotional state. She realized that she had gone too far with those last two sentences. Despite that, however, what Littlefoot did next surprised even her.

He backed down first.

"After the way I acted in that fight, I don't know anymore, Ponder. I don't know."

Ruby looked dumbfounded at the sudden submission as Littlefoot stared dejectedly at the ground. The scent of uncertainty radiated from him.

"Okay… you usually fight me longer when we fight, so I know something else is fighting you," Ruby noted with concern, most of her anger being subsumed by other emotions, "What is going on, Seeker?"

Littlefoot sighed, "I didn't think, Ponder. Dodger is a pack leader, and we all know very well why we don't have pack leaders face one another in front of their packs. After I scratched Thud's back in that spar so long ago..."

"...and he bit your ass…" Ruby added helpfully.

"Yeah… that is the reason why we don't do that anymore. It is too risky. Why didn't I think of it this time?"

Ruby sighed as well, before finally walking over to her mate's position and putting a comforting arm around him, a gesture which he reciprocated. The smell of anger was still present, but it was now tempered by other emotions from both fastbiters.

Sadness...uncertainty... regret.

"Perhaps it is because you don't think of him as a pack leader?" Ruby offered, "Because if you thought of him as a pack leader, then you wouldn't think of him as something else."

Littlefoot looked surprised, "What do you mean?"

Ruby shook her head and laughed slightly, "Really, Seeker? He looks up to you like you were _his_ pack leader, for crying out loud! When you berated all of us he looked completely despondent. I think the only reason Haven didn't mention that was because she was too pissed off to notice… but she does that when her brother is involved."

Littlefoot's eyes went wide, "He insulted her brother?"

Ruby growled at herself, _Crap!_ "Forget I said anything… that is something for…"

Littlefoot pulled her closer, "No, Ponder, please… this is very important. Was this a family matter?"

Ruby looked apologetic, "Yes… but Seeker? Please, I cannot tell you any more. This is…"

"It's okay," Littlefoot soothed her, "But I needed to know that. If it was a family matter then that explains Dodger's actions much better… and Haven's as well. I might need to personally mediate that."

Both fastbiters simply sat next to one another for several moments, each processing the events of the past day in their own way. It was Littlefoot who spoke first, however.

"And, yes… I apologize for ignoring you earlier. That was disrespectful."

Ruby crossed her arms in what was a partially mocking gesture, "It was! You should think twice before insulting your mate, or when you try to mate she may insult you!"

Now it was Littlefoot's turn to react with mock indignation, "That is low, dear! Couldn't you just beat me up or something?"

Ruby responded in a more playful manner, "I could, but this would hurt you more."

Littlefoot responded to her obvious playful insult by tackling her, which caused both of them to tumble out of their sleeping area. After a series of tickles and playful feather tugs, they were both laughing in a cathartic manner.

"You should probably still be pissed at me," Littlefoot noted after a laugh.

Ruby responded by making a mock swipe at his head, "I am! But I will just get back at you for it later. I learned that from Stern Claw."

Littlefoot laughed, "Oh no! Now I will have to learn about how to handle such vile tactics by talking to Taunt!"

This caused another cascade of threats and counter-threats until the two of them finally rolled back into the sleeping area. It was only then that the two of them seemed to be a bit more composed emotionally. Now that Littlefoot had his emotional base back, his mate, he could focus on other things.

"Dear," Littlefoot asked as the two lay side by side, "Were you serious with what you said about Dodger?"

Ruby looked at him with a concerned expression, "About you being afraid of us choosing him over you? No, dear, that was just me being…"

"No, not that… about him being devastated when I reprimanded all of the witnesses."

Ruby frowned, "Yes, dear. He seemed more hurt than even the rest of us. I think that he took it as a grave reprimand. He seemed crushed."

Littlefoot closed his eyes, "...and then I knocked him out in my fight. Sigh… what have I done?"

Upon hearing Littlefoot's reference to his mother, Ruby embraced him again and allowed his face to be covered by her arms. She would protect his pride from seeing any passersby see his emotional state. _He cares so much about those who follow him. Perhaps we should have seen the signs better from the other pack?_

"Perhaps you can talk to him?" Ruby finally offered.

"I will have to," Littlefoot responded in an almost chastised voice. Though Ruby knew that most of that chastisement came from Littlefoot's own conscience, "I owe him an honest conversation about everything. I can't imagine what he is thinking right now. There is already so much history there and bad blood between him and Leap... and everything else."

They both stared at one another contemplatively for several moments as they each considered the new revelations in their own way. It wasn't long, however, before Ruby mentioned something that had been on her mind since earlier that day.

Ruby rubbed her head awkwardly, "When I was fighting Violet she mentioned that you nearly killed her after she messed up… what was she talking about, dear?"

Littlefoot took a deep breath, "When Tracker was telling the rest of us about why Tracker panicked in front of Leap, Violet began to charge him… and I had to put an end to that."

Ruby look dumbfounded, "Violet seems the type to shut down rather than start a fight! Why would she fight instead of shutting down?"

Littlefoot grimaced, "The same reason I was surprised that Leap offered to fight Dodger," he sighed heavily, "When Leap was in Calin's pack he had to do horrible things otherwise the others would think of him as weak and do horrible things to him. So when Tracker was captured by Calin's pack for three days…"

Ruby eyes went wide, "Oh that poor thing!"

Littlefoot nodded, "Exactly. I tried to keep the matter as quiet as possible, but Violet heard all of that for the first time on that night so…"

Ruby nodded as she put a hand to his mouth, ""It's alright, dear. It's understandable why you did what you had to do, and why she reacted the way she did," she shook her head, "It was just an unfortunate incident."

Littlefoot sighed, "We have been having a lot of those lately."

Ruby nodded, "Yes, but we have never allowed another pack this close… well, except for Thud's. I guess some complications can be expected, but I worry about the complications we can't expect."

Littlefoot shrugged, "I guess that we will have to deal with those as they come. But first I need to deal with the complication that I…"

Suddenly both raptors heard a rustling in the weeds and rose to their feet. An obviously embarrassed Ducky stood in front of them.

"I am so..so.. sorry!" Ducky's voice spoke in utter embarrassment, "I did not know that you two were… I will go."

Littlefoot spoke first, "Wait, Haven… what did you hear?"

Ducky hesitated, "Uh… wait… you were talking?"

This caused Ruby to burst out laughing as Littlefoot rolled his eyes, "We were only talking, Haven, you were not interrupting anything else." It only now registered in his mind what seeing two tails sticking out of a sleeping area might look like to a passerby, "What did you need?"

Ducky hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, "It has to do with Dodger…"

* * *

 _Please, oh please don't let this turn violent…"_

Violet tried to hide her agitation as she walked just behind and to the side of her brother. They were slowly taking the walk which would lead them to the agreed upon area for the truce. This caused a confusing torrent of emotions in both fastbiters. Were they walking into a resolution of the conflict, or an eruption of the conflict into actual violence? In any case, the slow walk felt to Violet as if she were walking to her execution.

"You alright, Violet?" Dodger asked. Even if she now could use her sniffer a little bit, it seemed the VIolet kept forgetting that her scent usually gave away whatever she was feeling.

Violet took a deep breath before answering her brother, "I imagine that I smell as nervous as you smell right now," she smirked ever so slightly at her training, "...but I am still not certain what to do if things go bad. How will I know what to do? Do I wait until you say? What do I do if things stay calm? I have never seconded before."

"I've done this once," Dodger said. _When you were having that bully problem._ "If there's trouble, I'll tell you what to do. If I tell you to run, don't argue. I'll do my best to talk you through this. You'll do fine. I don't think this is going to get ugly." _I'm pretty sure Haven doesn't have a death wish._

Violet nodded and took a deep breath, her expression turning somewhat morose, "I hope you're right. But even if it does go well… I don't want to make our pack look bad. I have done that enough already."

"Violet, I'm the pack leader. I'm the one that got us into this mess. Whatever happens, none of it will be your fault." _I hope they'll be understanding. She does have friends here still._

Violet grew silent. She could only hope that everything would be alright in the uncertain moments to come. The only thing that she knew for sure was that she would stick with her brother until the end, wherever that may lead.

* * *

 _Well this is going to be awkward._

Littlefoot walked in silence behind Ducky as she trekked towards the stream. It would be there where the two conflicting fastbiters would meet under truce. Ducky's selection of Littlefoot was a form of reconciliation to her pack leader in order to remedy her refusal to talk to him about the incident earlier. But it also made another matter all the more complicated…

 _I hope Dodger doesn't think that I am here out of spite. He and I still have things to discuss… but I can't refuse Haven's offer of being a second. It is the least that a friend can do._

But that would not make this any easier.

"You know, Haven, I would have expected making this walk with Stern Claw before I would have to make it with you."

Ducky shook her head, but a slight smile exposed that his joke had had the intended effect, "Stern Claw would have ended whatever it was before it came to getting seconds."

Littlefoot rolled his eyes. It was a true statement, "Luckily, our pack rarely comes to blows if you exclude Stern Claw and Taunt."

Ducky remained silent for several moments before she spoke again, "I guess… I guess all of our issues were resolved a long time ago."

Littlefoot nodded at this, "We should have known that letting another pack so close to us would result in some problems, but it seems that most of the problems have come from us. Between all of the misunderstandings it is amazing that we all are in one piece."

Ducky sighed as she continued to walk forward, "Seeker, was I wrong back there? I just wanted to defend my brother… but I ended up causing all of this."

The brown fastbiter allowed himself to step forward as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Haven, listen to me. You had good intentions, but sometimes good intentions aren't enough. But that doesn't mean that we can't try to fix things. I think that a certain green swimmer told me that back in our leaf-eater days."

Ducky chuckled, "I was a bit smaller back then."

Littlefoot smiled, "We all were, but we are still learning. Our guests are not the only ones that need to learn a few things, it seems."

Littlefoot and Ducky both stopped as they arrived at the agreed upon location. For better or worse the conflict between the two fastbiters would be resolved soon.

* * *

 **The present:**

"I can't wait! What do you think they are up to now, sis? Finding out how to make better spears? Finding out how to break rocks without touching them? Finding out…"

 **Thump!**

Swipe laughed as her brother fell face first onto the moist ground, spraying his entire body with mud.

"Perhaps they are finding out how to watch where they are… hey!"

Without warning, Biter grabbed his sister's right leg and sent her tumbling into a mud-filled puddle. Now both siblings were well-covered in the brown sludge.

"Hey, guys. What are you... oh." The flyer that had spoken looked at the pair of fastbiters oddly after landing on a nearby branch. _I left one pair of younglings doing something weird to find... another pair of younglings doing something weird. And I missed it._

"Oh! Hey, Wayward! My sister and I were just…"

 **Slam!**

 _You were just proving you really need to pay attention to what your sister is doing?_ Wayward thought as he watched Swipe pounce on her brother, pinning him to the muddy ground.

Swipe leapt off her brother with a boastful strut, "I was just showing my brother a lesson in humility. How have you been, Wayward?"

"Pretty good, mostly," Wayward answered, "Besides the obvious, what have you two been up to lately?"

Biter shook the mud off of himself, sending it splattering in every direction, "Well.. Mom and Dad have been in a pack meeting since the Bright Circle went up, so we have been playing. Boring adult stuff... but Daddy says that we can go hunting with them again tomorrow!"

"So you wouldn't have time for a puzzle?" Wayward asked.

Both Biter and Swipe latched onto the tree as they scaled half its height in mere moments. It took all of Wayward's self-control to avoid fleeing into the air when they were under his branch.

"A puzzle!" They spoke in unison.

"Could you, um, return to the ground first?" Wayward asked, still a bit startled at how quickly the two fastbiters had gotten so far up. He stifled an unintentional sigh of relief when they returned to the ground.

"What's the puzzle?" Swipe asked excitedly as Biter actually did an excited spin.

"Is it like the puzzle of the hollow log carrier?" Biter exclaimed.

"Or the shiny reflection rock?" Swipe added.

"Or the sharp pointy stone?" Biter continued.

"Well, it does involve a rock..." Wayward said, thinking about the best way to explain it. Upon hearing the children's recollections of the previous puzzles he couldn't help but suspect that some of them had been shown to him on purpose. _Sharp stones to sharpen sticks better… hollow log carriers to help carry healing plants… Is this new 'puzzle' something else you wanted us to figure out, Chronos?_

"It's not the Big Bad Exploding Rock, is it?" Biter asked with concern, referring to the Repressor that had ended the Battle of the Valley. It may have been before his time, but the idea of a rock doing that had often haunted his nightmares.

 _Should I be telling them this?_ Wayward suddenly thought, _Datum and Axiom did try to make sure I couldn't see what they were doing. But if the rainbowfaces were letting their kids do it by themselves it can't be that dangerous. Can it?_

* * *

"But shouldn't we at least call up some of our other allies? They are our friends after all."

Littlefoot sighed as the conversation turned towards the matter of aiding their allies once more. He knew it would be a hard sell that this was not their fight. In fact even he wasn't quite sold on it yet.

"Viscond said that it was for the best that we stay out of it. They are challenging Ignis due to the alliance, so to bring us into the mix. Well… it might make it look like her enemies have a point."

"That why me say that only us flyers go. Me can kill him while he sleeps, and no hidden runner see. Then Ignis not have him as problem anymore."

Taunt groaned, "Sometimes you genuinely scare me, Spotter."

Petrie merely puffed his chest out pridefully. It was only Soar's playful slap that broke Petrie of his boastful demeanor.

"Hmph! Well if they don't want our help then why are we arguing over it?" Cera questioned, "I am sure Ignis will be fine. If she could help us beat Redclaw then she can handle one of her fellow not-so-hidden runners."

"I'm sure that she would love that characterization, Stern Claw," Spike muttered, earning him a glare, "But I do agree. This isn't our fight."

"It would be like the valley helping you if one of us challenged you for pack leader, Seeker. That would not be their fight, because it would be our fight."

"Been giving the idea some thought, dear?" Littlefoot mocked playfully.

Ruby smirked, "Nah, we all know that I would let you win."

A roar interrupted Littlefoot's attempt at humor. It was Chomper's turn to offer his input.

"This hidden runner seems like an ass and is certainly not our friend. If he wins then we lose the alliance… and possibly much more."

This caught Leap's attention, "What do you mean?"

Chomper sighed, "Do you honestly think that he will let a fastbiter pack alone who knows how to kill from a distance? If he wants to break the alliance then he certainly would like to get rid of the resulting enemies."

The pack grew silent at that horrifying thought. If Ignis lost her leadership and her allies were purged then all that would remain would be packs of enemies who could sneak without warning. A constant threat. A deadly threat.

"If it comes to that then there is one more favor that we could call."

Path looked at Littlefoot mutely as he stared into the distance. "And what is that?"

Littlefoot sighed with profound weariness, "There are mixed packs with our kind and their kind. They will not go down without a fight, regardless of what this Wrok thinks. And there is one fastbiter that I know who might be good enough to help rid us of him if it comes to that."

Ruby stared at him, "Are you suggesting..?"

Littlefoot nodded, "I think that it is time that we send a message to Verant. It has been a long time."

* * *

 **Thanks for the reviews, everyone!  
**

 **xPrimalHunterx** : It's not a problem. (: I hope that you had a wonderful birthday!

 **Devout Relic** : Thank you for the input concerning the present and past scenes. There is indeed a reason that is the case at this point. Initially, I had planned on not even having an over-arching present story, and to simply use the present as a framework for Mender to tell her tale. But, in the same way that it happened to Songs of the Hunters, I eventually decided to make the present story more substantial. Now that the past story is taking precedence, the 'present' story is simply doing a slow build and hinting at what may come later. Though, as the story goes on and you all learn more about the context of Mender's pack and their back-history, we may begin to see the present story taking on more and more importance. Let's just say we might see some old friends and enemies make an appearance in the present story...

 **Keijo6** : Thanks for the review! And yeah... steps are now being taken to remedy some of the damage between the packs, but as for how it will all turn out, only time will tell. The bilateral relationships between the packmates will be quite important in what happens next. And, as is usually the case in stories such as this, those character interactions can lead into very unexpected places.

 **bryan mccloud** : In the sparring matches the last point has to be a 'clean point' so a split point would not be awarded to settle the game. As for Littlefoot getting into trouble... yeah... an angry Ruby is a dangerous Ruby. d-; Though we will have to wait and see how the situation resolves itself between Dodger and Littlefoot.

 **gordhanx** : Thank you for the detailed review! (: I especially found one part of your review quite interesting:

"I was honestly kind of relived, that Leap wasn't going to face Dodger at first…until I remembered, that it would be Ducky facing Dodger. And considering the tension between them right now…yeah, I don't blame him for stepping in for his lady-friend."

Even though Ducky and Leap are not mates at this point, or even on the verge of becoming that, this does begin to show how they edge closer a bit later on. Something tells me that this process would have occurred much faster had Leap not been in another pack.

I look forward to your thoughts on how things develop in the next few chapters. (:


	13. Chapter 12: A path offered

**-v-**

 **Chapter 12: A path offered**

" **The Ship Manufacturing Guild guarantees that the improved EM Drive will allow you to swiftly accelerate towards your destination. Finding your destination, however, is entirely up to the operator."**

 _ **Ship Manufacturing Guild**_

 _ **Preamble to EM Drive manual**_

* * *

"Flyer... flyer... rising in the sky, oh will you not hear my plea? As you soar into the sky, what do you think of a walker like me? Flyer... flyer... not a care in the world, as the ground speeds by from below. Oh what wonders do you see that I will never know?"

Detras was at his tenth poem now and he was no calmer than he was when he had first stepped foot into his thinking spot nearly an hour before. In the distance, as if to mock him, soared flyers on their comings and goings. Perhaps they were as unaware of his troubles as he was of theirs?

In any case he was no closer to coming to a decision.

"Ah, my mother told me that one as well."

Detras groaned in pain as he ran from the new voice and collided into the rock wall near his perch. It wasn't until his collision and the resulting pain that he realized that the words had come from his mate.

"Damn it, dear!" he rubbed his side, momentarily distracted from the day's events.

Pearl allowed herself a slight smile as she stepped into the crevice in the rock. Her mate had always preferred this secluded spot when he had to ponder on difficult decisions. His need for seclusion when deep in thought was something that had been passed on to their daughter. Now, however, she realized that more thought would not do him much good.

"She also taught me a few other poems as well. Though I can make some of my own..." she began with a playful glint in her eye, ignoring his annoyed glare. Her pink form and tilted head almost appeared to mock his dour expression as he groaned in frustration.

"Dear, you know that I came in here to think about what has..." he never got the chance to finish as Pearl began reciting her poem in a sing-song voice.

"Little Detras ran in his cave, away from what he feared. But as he waited and pondered, his troubles only neared. Like a ground fuzzy he ran in place, digging himself into a hole. Until finally his mate came by, seeing that he had nowhere to go."

Detras was silent for a moment as he considered his mate's words. The mockery was obvious, but so was her intended message. Though in his current mood he wasn't going to let her get to him this easily. "Your rhyming needs some work."

This had the expected effect as Pearl playfully yanked at one of his tail feathers, "And your reflexes need some work!"

Detras suppressed a snort as he shook his head, "Not as much as my eyes, apparently."

Detras again stared at the distant flyers, his face an impassive mask. His mate's antics could only distract him for a moment from the heavy decisions that now lay before him. How was he going to make sure that his daughter and her mate safely found a place of their own? What was to be done about Orchid, his beloved son?

It wasn't until about a minute later that he felt his mate sit beside him. Unlike before she was now as silent as the wind. Only her breathing interrupted his dark thoughts.

 _What am I going to do? What is the right thing to do?_

"How are they doing?" Detras asked hesitantly, unsure of himself. He felt his mate lean closer as he asked this, a show of support.

"Well... Nahoda and Arial are doing fine. I think everyone has convinced Mender that Nahoda is not dinner." Upon hearing a snort from her mate she continued, "Your son seems to be contemplating what to do once you kick him out."

Detras's body shook, "What?"

Pearl looked at him gingerly as she sighed, "Well, dear, what else is he supposed to think?"

The elder male fastrunner appeared to almost crumple up at Pearl's statement as his gaze turned downward. It was obvious that his thoughts were turning in the same direction, but that he was not pleased with them.

"Our son is strong, dear. He knows it is time for him to go and he is alright with leaving."

Detras jerked back suddenly and stared at his mate with a befuddled expression.

Arial placed a hand on her mate's shoulder. "He is not like Nahoda, dear, and he is not like you. We have taught him every lesson that we know, and he has had every opportunity to grow into a fine young fastrunner. You are _not_ like your father."

Detras was struck by this and contemplated it for a moment. He had always tried to be a better parent than his parents had been to him. He had been hurled into the world with only the basics to survive. He always wanted his children to have more than that.

"At least not yet."

Detras looked at his mate, uncomprehending for a moment, but then he sighed in recognition. What good would a childhood of lessons be if they ended with a hateful chase?

"So he is ready to leave, but he doesn't want to leave like this." It was a statement, not a question. Detras turned towards his mate with a contemplative expression, but the sense of conflict was gone. After all, with Detras blindly going after Arial's loved one what choice did Orchid have in the heat of the moment? _I love you, Orchid, but you take after some of my worst traits._ "He reacted brashly and it nearly got me killed. Then both of them were afraid to bring the subject up because they thought I would go kill Nahoda," he shook his head, "Like father like son, huh?"

Pearl smirked, "I am sure the fact has not been lost on Nahoda, dear."

Detras shook his head, "Nahoda... that is the other thing. How can he protect our daughter when he seems to not be able to protect himself? Mender doesn't even have a good sniffer but was able to track him down."

Silence reigned for a few moments as each fastrunner thought about their predicament. That was when Detras's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Wait... I think that I may have an idea."

* * *

Mender hesitated as she approached the stream. Despite her initial optimism about her proposal she was now only filled with doubts. She was a newcomer here and knew little of fastrunner traditions. Would her proposal be welcomed? Would it make things worse? Would it...

 **Splash**

"Yep, there's a stream there," Orchid's sarcastic voice called from some distance away.

Mender looked mortified as the cool water of the stream splashed over her feet. In her uncertainty and absentmindedness she had walked straight into the stream, alerting Orchid to her presence.

 _Verant would be disappointed. A fastbiter should never taker her eyes off of her surroundings._

"Um... are you alright?"

Mender looked up suddenly as the fastrunner as he noticeably cringed at her expression. Only then did she realize how her sharp gaze might have looked to a prey animal and quickly averted her eyes slightly.

"I guess I could ask you the same question."

Orchid paused at this before again looking at the stream, looking for fish that Mender suspected were not there. "I know how to find food and shelter so I will be fine." The fact that his voice broke on the word 'fine' did not escape Mender's ears.

Mender opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated. _I need to be careful here. Not even Verant was at his best when emotional..._

* * *

 **The past:**

 _This is not good,_ Dodger thought as he approached Ducky's position, _Why did she bring Seeker with her? Is this worse than I thought it was?_ Realizing that Violet could smell and recognize fear now, he let himself indulge in the bit of anger he felt towards Ducky for bringing the one fastbiter that could shut all this down with a word. _If she weren't Violet's friend I'd never again believe a word she said._

Littlefoot shifted into a rigid stance as would be expected by a second of higher rank than the dinosaur who called the truce. It was a reaction that communicated silent support without giving away anything. Ducky, on the other hand, almost looked sick. It was as if she didn't know what to say in that moment.

"I am here under truce, as I announced to your second. I have brought my own second, but no one else," her voice was soft, but had an edge of formality to it, "I have honored my side of the truce."

Dodger gestured for Violet to take a step back so she was slightly behind rather than directly at his side before replying. "I too have obeyed the truce. My second is beside me, but no others."

Ducky noticed Dodger's reaction and reflexively looked over at Littlefoot; he took a step back as well, a slightly apologetic expression on his face. The meaning being rather clear, Littlefoot had gotten a minor piece of etiquette wrong, but Dodger had noticed it. This meant that Dodger must have done this entire ritual before.

Ducky took a deep breath, "I see that you have done this before. Know that any mistakes here are due to inexperience, not malice," her words were said with more than a hint of irritation, but her eyes were apologetic. It was obvious that her irritation was directed at herself in that moment, and not him.

"Understood. Likewise, I would ask that you ignore any mistakes on the part of my second. I have had little time to teach her about this." Even if he had to point out Violet's obvious inexperience, he wasn't about to let her take the blame for it. It was his job to teach her, and he had failed to do so in this matter. He paused for a moment, making sure that Ducky understood what he considered the most important thing he had to say. _Don't blame Violet for any of this._

"You called the truce," Dodger continued, "Are you here to apologize or demand one from me?" He made sure that his stance and posture conveyed that he wasn't going to simply back down but didn't actually want a fight. It was the very definition of uncomfortable.

Ducky replicated his gesture as her second looked noticeably uncomfortable, "You will receive no apology from me for defending my brother's honor. The very suggestion of taking pleasure at his pain fills me with disgust," her eyes fixed upon him with icy coldness before softening slightly, "But I would not expect you to apologize for defending your mate's honor. My brother was the one who sounded the alert that led to your mate nearly dying."

 _Where is she going with this? There's a reason I've only ever done this once, and that was when I was a child._ Dodger really wished Ducky would just make her main point. What she had said was a bit too hard to interpret.

Ducky swallowed at that lack of response from Dodger. She had no idea whether to take that as a show of disrespect, or of uncertainty, "Since we are both acting for our loved ones then perhaps we should ask what our loved ones think of this. Would they want us to carry on like this? Would they want us to fight?"

"I know Tracker doesn't," Dodger replied. _I don't want to fight, either, but I have no clue whether that would make her change her mind. Showing weakness can do that._ "She'd rather I drop the whole thing if at all possible."

Ducky nodded, "As would my brother… and Seeker. They see this as an unfortunate misunderstanding," she grimaced, "...and after talking to your second about it, I agree. We both acted foolishly during the spar. You should have said your grievances to Finder directly rather than provoking all of his friends by insulting him from a distance. That is not how a pack leader behaves."

She swallowed, "...but I should have reacted calmly and explained myself before threatening violence. I did not act how a pack member should behave. I put my own feelings ahead of the well-being of my pack and of this alliance. I am at fault as well."

Dodger couldn't stop himself from looking at Violet. She looked a bit embarrassed but quickly hid it. _Okay, I wasn't expecting any of this. And yes, Haven, I know I'm an idiot. I think we established this when we met. I really should consider resigning. I have no clue what I'm doing. This just proves it._ Dodger sighed. "What do you propose we do?" he asked in a tired voice. _If you want to just have us walk away from this I can't think of a single reason to object._

Ducky looked down for a moment as if she were building up her nerves. finally, however, she looked Dodger in the eyes, "I apologize for my reaction, but not for the reasons that I reacted," the twitch of her tail showed how difficult this was for her. Making an apology under truce was a step away from submission, and provided no guarantee that the gesture would be replicated. It was to invite the risk of losing face without anything to show for it. "I only request, that you do the same for your faults."

 _All of them or just the one you're concerned about? We could be here until the Cold Time is upon us if you want all of them._ "I apologize for my actions as well," Dodger replied, purposefully leaving out any suggestion that he was sorry for his thoughts concerning his mate. This actually wasn't that hard for him. He'd been wanting to fix things since before he got hurt.

Ducky let loose a sigh of relief as Littlefoot stood down as tradition dictated. He was now in a relaxed posture, though his eyes still seemed conflicted.

Ducky finally looked at Dodger again, "I was hoping that this mess could be taken care of. This is not like any of us. Nope, nope, nope." she then appeared to look in the direction of her brother's sleeping area, "My brother told me that he does not like grudges either. So if you wanted to resolve this by a friendly spar then he would be willing. Though, to be honest, I think he just wants to redeem himself after losing to Stern Claw."

"I think that my brother will have to heal his head before he can bang heads," Violet blurted out before realizing that she had interrupted the only two people who should be speaking. She quickly took a step back with an embarrassed look on her face.

Ducky did her best to suppress a snort, but failed. Violet may have broken protocol but it provided a needed respite from the emotionally heavy conversation.

"Yeah, I think those vines could do with a second skull," Dodger said, increasingly sounding like he was more thinking aloud than conversing, "An actual skull would likely break, but more vines could be too confining…"

Littlefoot coughed as he whispered something into Ducky's ear. A quick nod from her was followed by her responding to Dodger's statement.

"Umm… I guess we could make sure there are no trees in the fighting area. Speaking of which… shall we end this? Because there is someone else here that wants to talk to you. Both of you."

Violet couldn't help but take a step to her right so that she was nearly behind her brother.

 _I think I'd rather spar Finder and Thud at the same time,_ Dodger thought. "Um… okay," he replied. Anything more formal or coherent was currently beyond him.

Ducky was not sure how to take Dodger's sudden reluctance and briefly considered that it might be due to lingering resentment directed in her direction.

"Before I go… are we okay now?" Ducky asked in an almost depressed voice, "I try to be friendly to everyone and I would hate to think that I ruined what goodwill was between us, Dodger... If so, then I understand."

"We're good, Haven. I was worried I had done the same." Focusing on Ducky was much easier than focusing on the pack leader that Dodger was pretty sure was still very displeased with him, to put it mildly.

Ducky nodded after a pause and looked towards a visibly agitated Littlefoot. Briefly whispering something into his ear, she then quietly sprinted away. She was very aware that this conversation was not for her.

 _Well that went well,_ Littlefoot thought to himself, _But I have my doubts about this._

"I guess that you know why I want to speak with you, Dodger?" Littlefoot finally spoke.

Dodger gulped and unconsciously moved so that he was entirely in front of Violet from Littlefoot's perspective. "I think so, sir, but if it's about anything after my fight with Leap, I can't really remember any of it," Dodger answered honestly albeit extremely nervously.

Littlefoot looked down. It was an odd sight to put it mildly to see the pack leader suddenly look as guilty as a chastised youngling.

"Do you remember any of it? Anything at all?"

"Other than that you and I fought, and it wasn't much fun? It's really unclear beyond that." Dodger was feeling extremely awkward. He had no idea what he was supposed to do or say.

Littlefoot nodded as he reluctantly spoke again, "Things got really out of hand… to put it mildly. We both fought as if our lives depended on it. It was not a friendly fight."

 _I'm not sure how that's getting out of hand. Fighting as if my life depended on it is the only way I know how to fight. And fights aren't supposed to be friendly. They're fights,_ Dodger thought. "Fights are usually friendly at that point? I thought they were supposed to be hard."

Littlefoot looked at Dodger with a dumbfounded expression for a moment, before quickly shaking his head, "With vines that allows us some room to be rough… but I took it too far. Way too far. In my fear of losing the match I threw you into the tree," he shook his head as an ashamed expression appeared on his face, "A pack leader shouldn't injure his allies just to save his pride."

Dodger looked at Littlefoot with an odd expression. He wasn't quite seeing where Littlefoot was at fault. _If he's speaking of 'throwing' the way I think he is, I didn't consider what was beyond my target during my own attack. Wow. I really am an idiot._ "Sir?" Dodger asked, hoping for more of an explanation.

"This is why Thud and I agreed to never spar one another, and to just consider a match that would lead to that a draw. When pack leaders fight in front of their followers things can get very messy," Littlefoot sat on his haunches, "I guess I did not consider that because I failed to think of you as a pack leader in that moment… and for that I apologize."

Dodger was following Littlefoot quite well until the apology. For a moment his mind went blank. He literally didn't know how to respond.

Nervously moving from the safe spot behind her brother, Violet intentionally bumped into him while trying and failing to make it look accidental. "Dodger?" she asked. _Are you okay?_

 _The world is coming to an end, isn't it? I'm pretty sure I'm the one that needs to apologize even if I'm not entirely sure what for at the moment,_ Dodger thought. "I'm okay, Violet," he replied to his sister's unspoken question. Violet quickly turned to get back behind her brother. She couldn't think of a safer place at the moment.

Littlefoot took the lack of response from Dodger as an indication of his displeasure. Thinking that he had irrevocably damaged his friendship with the other pack leader, he bowed his head respectfully, "I understand if you are upset… I only ask that you only hold it against me. Please do not judge my pack based upon my failure."

"With all due respect, sir, I don't understand what you're apologizing for. If I understand what happened correctly, I made a leap without considering what was beyond my target. With the amount of times I've had to tell Violet to mind her surroundings, I'm not exactly happy I made such a foolish mistake." Dodger was doing his best not to sink to the ground and grip his head since doing so would appear either weak or disrespectful. Possibly both. His sister had no such qualms. She considered herself to be the former, and the possibility of appearing to be the latter didn't occur to her.

 _Would being completely smell-blind be simpler or would it make all this even harder?_ Violet wondered, _Seeker is confusing me more than my sniffer does when everyone's in the same place._

Littlefoot blinked in confusion, "But… but I put your life in danger for a selfish reason! You would have every right to be angry with me. That is not how a pack leader should behave."

"I could have backed down before the fight even started. I chose to take the risk. I made a mistake that would have earned Violet a lecture lasting until the next full Night Circle had she done the same. And, honestly, sir, I wouldn't know how a pack leader is supposed to behave if it bit me. I've gotten very few things right. Almost everything I've gotten right now you've taught me."

Littlefoot looked at Dodger as if he had grown a second head. _My goodness Ponder was right about how he felt about me. I only wish I was worthy of such praise._

"Dodger, listen to me. You helped to keep your fellow pack members alive through adversity that no child should have to deal with. At least we had Dein and Terri to help us… but you three didn't even have that," Littlefoot placed a hand on Dodger's shoulder, "I am not perfect, Dodger, and I made a mistake during that fight. A pack leader shouldn't take things that far over their pride. Had I ended up killing you then I would have never forgiven myself."

"I still should have considered exactly what I was doing, sir," Dodger replied, "I can't control anyone but myself. Had I not made that leap everything would have been fine." _Or at least not as bad._

Littlefoot sighed, "Yes, you made a mistake in the fight, but I made a worse mistake. I allowed myself to get involved in a fight that I should not have gotten involved in. I let my emotions get the better of me and you paid the price," he looked into Dodger's eyes, "I acted in a way that would have been more fitting of Prowler than myself."

"The fact that we're standing here talking, sir, says otherwise," Dodger replied.

Violet felt quite a bit of relief in what she was hearing, but she quelled the urge to say anything. None of this meant that Seeker wanted to hear anything from her. _Maybe I should get out of here…_

Littlefoot nodded, "Nonetheless I demand better of myself, and today I did not live up to that standard," he gave a knowing smile to Dodger, "I guess that neither of us lived up to our standards today."

"I guess we didn't," Dodger replied, mentally emphasizing 'guess'. He was still pretty sure he could have prevented at least part of this if he hadn't been such an idiot.

"So as you can see, Violet, even pack leaders make mistakes sometimes."

Violet practically jerked up in a panic at the mention of her name. "Sir?" she asked, deciding it was best to err on the side of being respectful, especially since she hadn't been listening that attentively even though it was now apparent she should have.

"I think we can drop the formalities, Violet," Littlefoot offered with a chuckle, "You just got done hearing two pack leaders acknowledge how idiotic they have been behaving. You have done quite well today, though. You calmed Haven down and resolved a wedge that was dividing the two packs. For that you have my sincere thanks."

Violet just nodded dumbly, too stunned for words. _The world is officially upside-down now. Well, at least he doesn't want to kill me anymore._

"You did good, Violet," Dodger told his sister, "I couldn't think of any way for Haven and I to resolve our dispute, and you got us to talk things out." He moved his head next to his sister's ear and whispered, "I'm proud of you, little sister." He wasn't embarrassed by the sentiment, but he didn't want to accidentally embarrass Violet if the phrase was taken as too parental by others. She was his _sister_ , not his daughter, no matter how many times he'd been forced to act as though she were the latter.

Judging by the smile he got in return, he was pretty sure Violet needed to hear that more often.

Littlefoot coughed feeling a bit bad about interrupting the moment, "Well, Dodger and Violet, it seems that you have learned quite a bit from being with us. Would both of you like to learn another lesson?"

Dodger nodded. Violet's nod was a bit more hesitant than her brother's. She was not a fan of surprises or anything else uncertain at the moment.

Littlefoot chuckled, "Don't worry, Violet; it isn't anything too horrifying. I am going to show the both of you how you show everyone that things have been resolved without actually saying anything to them at all."

"Huh?" Violet asked. _It's another of those confusing things, isn't it?_

Littlefoot smiled, "As a pack leader you may not want to lose face by going into detail about how things are resolved, but that does not mean that you can't show that things are alright. Sometimes the non-verbal response is better than a verbal one," he tilted his head, "So, Dodger, how would you show everyone that things are better between you and Haven, and between all of us? Any ideas?"

"Not really, sir" Dodger replied. _Anything back when Prowler was in charge was dealt with rather straightforwardly, or, in Prowler's case, not dealt with at all._

"The reason that I'm being elusive is to see what you come up with," Littlefoot clarified, sensing Dodger's unspoken question, "How about you, Violet? Any ideas?"

"I really don't know," Violet replied, looking a bit lost, "Tracker and I always talked things out, and Dodger would too if Prowler wasn't looking. Prowler didn't really let things go until he either won or forgot about it."

Littlefoot nodded, "Well, let me show you how to do things with a bit more subtlety. What do packs do together after they kill prey?"

Violet actually had to think about it. Usually the first thing that happened was that Dodger would check her for injuries, sometimes twice. "Can you just tell us? We'll be here all day otherwise." Violet immediately clamped her hands over her mouth. She backed away a bit. "Sorry."

Littlefoot nodded in her direction, "It's alright, Violet, but patience is an important thing to learn when it comes to learning. That was something that Mr. Thicknose always said that I ignored when I was a young longneck, but it seems more and more true as I get older," he looked at Dodger, "One last question, Dodger. What do packs do after they hunt?"

"Mine or a normal pack?" Dodger asked.

Littlefoot smirked, "Why not tell me both?"

"Judging by you guys, the normal answer is 'eat'. For my pack it's a bit less fun. For the last couple Cold Times, I'd first check Violet for injuries. She has a tendency to try to hide them. Then we'd wait until Prowler was away. After that we'd eat in shifts so nothing snuck up on us. We had a bad day with a two-footer a couple times when we didn't bother. Actually, one time when Tracker and I got separated was really bad…" Dodger shuddered a bit at the memory.

Littlefoot frowned, but nodded in acknowledgement of Dodger's statement, "No wonder why you two were confused… I'm sorry that you three had to deal with that," he turned and looked towards the pack lands, "A pack will usually eat together. It is a great show of solidarity between the members of the pack. So considering all that, how would you show everyone that we all on good terms again?"

"Eating together, but I think we'd need to find something first." Dodger was already out of habit considering what areas he had seen would make good hunting areas.

Littlefoot smiled, "True, but we do have some leftovers… how about we get Haven, Tracker, and us together and discuss our next hunt as we eat our meal? I think the rest of the pack will breathe easier realizing that we are all on good terms again."

"Sounds good. I completely forgot there was anything left," Dodger said.

Violet nodded in agreement with Littlefoot's words. She didn't trust herself to verbally reply right then, fearing that she'd ramble and eventually say something she didn't mean to. That had happened quite often in the past.

Littlefoot noted Violet's hesitant reaction and laughed good-naturedly, "Come along, Violet! We can talk while Dodger gets his mate. It will be good to get this situation behind us all. See you at the food, Dodger!"

Dodger gave his sister an encouraging pat on the shoulder before leaving. He hadn't failed to notice Violet's 'help me' look. _I don't think Seeker gets that at least a bit of what Violet is afraid of is his position in the pack. Any mistake she makes gets worse with someone that outranks her, and just about everyone around her outranks her._

* * *

"So, Violet, now that we are alone, can you tell me how you got Haven to calm down? I had a lot of difficulty even getting her to talk."

"I didn't do anything. We just talked, and she told me to deliver a message to my brother," Violet replied, trying her best to keep from stuttering. Despite Littlefoot not really seeming angry at her anymore, Violet was still afraid of messing up, more so now that things seemed to be getting better.

Littlefoot nodded as he continued to walk through the dark forest, "Perhaps that is what I did wrong. I went into full-on 'leader' mode as opposed to being a friend. Though in that moment I guess I didn't have much of a choice." he chuckled, "My reaction didn't exactly make Ponder happy with me either."

Violet kept silent, not seeing a safe way to reply. _It's like he's trying to make me insult him._

"I guess what I am trying to say, Violet, is that sometimes you simply have to act. You did so with Haven, and it turned out well, but if you had not been a good friend to her then who knows what would have happened?" he shrugged as he looked in her direction, "I know that right now you are not saying anything because you are afraid of 'getting it wrong'. Well don't be afraid of that right now. How can we learn and grow if we don't try new things? Feel free to say whatever comes to mind, Violet."

Violet actually had several things on her mind that never really went away, which sometimes led to trouble. Most of them would be embarrassing to talk about with any pack leader, especially this one. "Um, how did Thud and his pack all end up together? End up staying together, I mean. I don't think they'd appreciate me talking to them." Violet cringed as soon as she said it. _Maybe that wasn't the best question._

"After Leap and Swift found us we decided that Thud would be the best bet to train and lead them. At first there was too much bad blood because they were members of Calin's pack, but they very quickly proved their honor and decency. After serving under Thud during the Battle for the Valley their bonds were pretty much sealed with blood. Though I consider them like they are fellow packmates." Littlefoot smiled as he looked her way, "Why do you think they wouldn't appreciate you talking to them?"

Violet looked at Littlefoot like he'd suggested poking a sleeping two-footer with a stick. _Seriously? You nearly killed me and apparently forgot_ why _?_ "Attacking one's packmate does that." Violet consciously avoided saying 'sir' since it could possibly sound like she was trying to insult the pack leader through sarcasm.

"I am sure that Leap understands why you would flip out after hearing what you heard. Heck, I threatened you in order to stop you, but you didn't actually think that I had it in for you."

Violet looked down and away. _Should I start running now? This is getting awkward and dangerous. I think I'd prefer Stern Claw glaring at me. At least she's not subtle about much around me._

Littlefoot froze, "You… you did realize that I was just trying to stop you, right?" his voice was barely above a whisper, "I had to protect Leap… and yourself. Who knows what would have happened had you had been allowed to reach him?"

Violet just cringed. She knew she'd screwed up badly at the time. Now she was being told it could have been even worse. _Prowler was right. I really am worthless._

The brown fastbiter sighed heavily as he sat down and gestured for Violet to do the same. His eyes suddenly had a very tired expression to them.

"Sir?" Violet asked. She didn't dare use the pack leader's name. It seemed too personal. Too friendly.

"Seeker, please," Littlefoot offered, "Do you honestly think that anyone can blame you for reacting the way that you did? How do you think I would have reacted if I heard that one of your pack members had done that to Ponder? How do you think Taunt would react if someone had done that with Stern Claw? Even though Leap had no choice, rage is an understandable reaction."

"I still didn't bother to think," Violet replied, angry at herself, "There was no way I was getting out of there alive if you didn't want me to." She sighed heavily. "Dodger fought Leap, and Leap didn't even get hurt. My brother can actually control himself."

"That is only because, I would wager, that his mate talked to him last night," Littlefoot suggested, "There is a very good reason why Dodger was not present for that conversation between Thud's pack and all of you. Everyone has limits."

"And mine make me a liability," Violet responded, "always have." She wasn't bothered by any single thing about her that wasn't up to par, but all of them together made it very hard for her to convince herself she was worth much.

Littlefoot's voice suddenly turned very assertive, "Violet, you are not a liability. You barely had a chance to learn how to deal with your disability and now look at you," he gestured towards her, "After a few days you already have had a successful hunt, you scored a point during a spar, and you have helped to mend a potentially dangerous situation. Does that sound like the works of a liability to you?"

"I didn't even realize I did something most of the time. That spar still tells me I'm useless in a real fight, and I didn't realize I was doing anything other than trying to figure out why my friend was so angry. Honestly, I still don't get it. And I'm never going to be able to survive on my own. I can't find anything to hunt with this." She tapped her sniffer.

"You may not have been attempting to help your friend, but you did so anyway. And getting one point is the starting point to getting five points. We all have to start from somewhere," Littlefoot asserted, "As for surviving on your own, why would you need to? You have a pack, Violet, and as long as you help them then you have proven your worth. Never let someone tell you that you are worthless, Violet, and don't ever tell yourself that."

Violet just nodded, afraid of losing control on her emotions. _I'm not going to cry._

Littlefoot frowned at this reaction, but his eyes remained kind, "Have you talked to Dodger and Tracker about these feelings?"

"About what? Me?"

Littlefoot nodded, "Yes. Prowler is gone, but it seems his words still haunt you."

"Dodger keeps telling me I'm not just trouble on legs, but I'm just not that good at anything, really. Tracker might not be any better than me in a fight, but she can find almost anything with her sniffer. I'll never be able to do that. Dodger kept us alive through some things I don't think we should've survived. I nearly had my leg broken once, and he made sure I got to safety long after Prowler left me for dead. Nearly got himself killed doing it, too. There's nothing I can do that someone else in my pack can't do much better than me."

"You are the only person who can be you. I suspect that part of what kept Dodger going during those times was the fact that he had to be strong for you," Littlefoot pointed out, "A pack is not just its runners, trackers, and hunters. Fastbiters are more than their jobs. A pack is made up of individuals, and all of them are valuable."

Littlefoot shrugged, "Not to mention, I can think of something that no one in your pack can do. But I think that there is one pack member who might be a good candidate to learn," he pointed directly at her chest.

"Huh? What can _I_ do?" Violet was completely clueless as to what Littlefoot could be referring to.

"Violet, how would you like to be trained as a healer?"

* * *

 **The present:**

Orchid watched the fastbiter with more than a little annoyance. Deep inside he realized that this was not fair for the healer of his sister, but he couldn't bring him to care at that particular moment. He had much more pressing matters on his mind.

 _I guess I could go to the Lowlands; there are fish, snapping shells, and eggs there. Well… and fastbiters._ _There's always a downside._

Mender tried to say something to break the awkward silence between the two but gave up before even saying a word. Eventually she decided to imitate Orchid and pretend to look for fish as well.

 _Oh who am I kidding? If Mender nearly snuck up on me then how can I avoid a pack?_ The fastrunner tossed a small stone into the stream, which skipped to the other side. _Maybe I would be better off trying to live in the Barrens?_

Orchid's now visible concern was not lost on Mender even though he was now turned away from her. Finally deciding that she was overthinking what she wanted to say, Mender walked over to Orchid. "If you want, you could come with us when we leave. At least until you find a good place," she finally said.

Orchid froze, immediately dropping the stone that was in his hand. He tilted his head but did not turn around. Uncertain about how to take his silence, Mender continued.

"We don't have anywhere that we really need to be right now, so I could help you get wherever you want to go if you don't want to stick with us..."

Orchid slowly turned towards the fastbiter as the reality of her words kicked in. _Join a pack? Like… a sharptooth? That would help me, but… but…_

"Why would you want a burden like me?"

The words left his mouth before he even registered what he had said. Despite his help during the incident with Dein and Terri, and despite everything else he had done, ultimately he was just a fastrunner in his mind. He could almost hear his father's words. _A brave fastrunner is a dead fastrunner. Try to be a smart fastrunner._

But what was the smart choice here?

Mender couldn't help but stare at Orchid in shock, unable to believe Orchid would outright say such a thing about himself. "Is there a reason you think you'd be a burden?" she finally asked Orchid as calmly as she could.

The fastrunner looked down for a moment as he collected his thoughts. In the end, however, he simply spoke what was on his mind.

"I nearly killed my father. What kind of son does that?" His voice dripped with venom. "I should have thought of a different way. Maybe my voice would have carried if I had yelled? Maybe… maybe I could have done something else."

He sucked in a deep breath as he averted his eyes again. His voice came out in an accusing hiss, the anger fully directed at himself.

"I looked up to my dad, and I let him down. At least he can be proud of Arial."

"You think he has a reason to be proud of your sister? She nearly broke her leg to get between a hungry fastbiter..." Mender pointed at herself for emphasis. "...and her prey. In what way was that even remotely smart?"

Orchid recoiled as if he were struck. His voice came back in a defensive hiss, "My sister did what she could to help her love! Don't you dare bring her into this!"

Orchid didn't get so much as a warning before Mender slammed into him, knocking him over. She quickly followed it up by pinning him down. "Still think she made a good decision, Orchid?" Mender demanded angrily.

Orchid struggled for a moment before the hot breath of Mender made him snap back into reality, his composure instantly slipping. No coherent thought escaped his mind in that terrible moment of helplessness. Only words. Failure. Stupid. Trapped.

Before Mender realized it she had a sobbing fastrunner in her grip. Only a few words leaving his beak.

"If you're going to end it then please end it."

* * *

 _Orchid, you've completely lost me._ "And why would I want to do that?" Mender asked much more kindly, "You're my friend, Orchid. You've got quite the beak on you, but you're my friend."

The fastrunner was silent for a few moments, only sobbing as if an emotional barrier had been breached. Even for a sniffer such as Mender's the smell of regret was overwhelming.

"How do I fix this, Mender? I didn't want to hurt anyone. I just want to be…"

"Like your dad?" Mender asked, "I think you succeeded."

Orchid's sobs ended suddenly as the stupefied fastrunner froze in shock, "What? How? My dad is honorable, I'm..."

"Just as honorable, perhaps even more so. You're actually bothered by your decisions when they don't go how you want. From what I've seen of your dad, I can't tell whether he's bothered by all this or not."

"More than you two could ever know."

In a rather bizarre move, Mender shifted from barely pinning Orchid down to moving to protect him as the new voice interrupted the scene.

Orchid choked out a response, quickly trying to hide his emotion, "Dad?"

The purple elder looked every one of his years as he walked towards the duo. The mist in his eyes was obvious as he gave Mender a placative wave, "Unfortunately, son, I think you got your idiocy from me."

 _You'd be right,_ Mender thought, barely resisting the urge to nod in affirmation.

Orchid tried to escape from Mender's protective guard as he walked towards his father. It was only when his father embraced him that he let out a surprised gasp.

"You're not a burden. But you still have a bit to learn."

Mender's reaction to seeing both fastrunners embrace was pretty much not to react. She just stared at the scene in front of her. _I am seeing this, right?_

"They are so much alike, aren't they?"

"A bit too alike if you ask me," Mender replied to Pearl, who had just walked up beside her.

The two fastrunners shared the embrace for a moment that seemed to stretch on into eternity, before Detras pulled back. "Mender, Pearl? Join us for a moment."

Mender glanced at Pearl, unsure of what to do. She felt very much like an intruder right then.

Pearl gave Mender a quick nod as she began to rush to her son's side. She was followed much more slowly and hesitantly by Mender.

Orchid looked at his dad with a confused expression, "Dad? How can you…"

"You did what you thought was necessary to protect your sister's love. How can I blame you for that?" Detras's chest puffed out in a bit of second-hand pride, as his son tried to maintain his composure. "But do you know what I _do_ blame you for?"

Hearing this last, Mender couldn't help but look at Detras with suspicion. _What are you getting at, Detras?_

Detras met her gaze as he smiled and looked at his son, earning a glare from his mate.

Orchid, despite his best attempts stammered, "I didn't try to warn you? I didn't…"

A playful slap of his shoulders shut him up as he rolled his eyes, "You were just offered free passage by a fastbiter and her famous pack, but you decided to challenge her to a fight. Now as your mom will tell you, I am not the smartest fastrunner but…"

After seeing Pearl playfully hit Detras, Mender decided that fastrunners were truly bizarre. _And yet they're still not the weirdest things I've ever seen._

"But I think you should accept the offer."

Orchid tried his best to not break down as he nodded at his father, "I will, Dad. I don't think I could escape from Mender in any case." he forced a smile in Mender's direction, but it was obvious that he was struggling to maintain his composure.

Mender gave Orchid a supportive smile.

Detras didn't even try to hide his wet eyes as his mate embraced his child and he stepped back for a moment, giving Mender a placative look.

"I hope you can forgive me for failing to teach you one lesson, son. But I think Mender might be a better teacher than I. And.. well… Nahoda needs to be taught as well."

Mender suddenly looked at Detras, startled. _You want me to do_ what _?_

Orchid sighed for a moment before laughing intensely. "Dad, are you sure you don't want to just kick me out?" This earned him a playful nudge from his mother, as Detras laughed and gave his son a playful nip, "Mender, you owe our daughter one more favor, do you not?"

"Yes, I still owe Ponder another favor," Mender replied.

Detras's eyes gleamed as his son groaned, sensing what was coming, "And what would you consider Orchid and Arial's greatest fault?" Dodging his mate's playful nip he quickly added, "And Nahoda's?"

"Well, Nahoda seems to be an idiot, Arial likes Nahoda, and Orchid is a bit too protective of Arial..." Mender thought aloud, "Er... maybe I could have said that more nicely. Sorry, Orchid."

Orchid groaned as he shook his head. "I think you need to learn how to lie, Mender. I am sure Spotter can teach you."

"Why would I want to do that?" Mender asked, confused.

Detras laughed. "Well, a fair exchange I suppose. My son can teach you sarcasm as you teach him to avoid being hunted…"

Orchid's laugh caught in his throat as he protested, "Couldn't you just disown me?"

This finally earned Orchid a slap on his shoulder from his father. "Never. If you are ready to leave then that is one thing, but I will be damned before I let you, my daughter, or Nahoda leave without being as ready as possible."

Mender smiled at the scene before her. _See, Orchid. You were worried about nothing._

As the three fastrunners embraced, Detras looked in Mender's direction, "Care to educate our children in how to avoid a hunt, Mender? I know you like to chase…"

This time Mender smiled with her whole body. _Oh this is going to be fun._

* * *

 **Many miles away:**

The fastrunner sprinted through the undergrowth as the panting of the fastbiter erupted behind her. She knew if she found the stream then perhaps its waves would cover her scent, but time was running out. The fastbiter was nothing if not persistent.

Said fastbiter tore through the shrubbery as if it weren't there, cutting down on the fastrunner's lead.

 _Shit!_ The fastrunner turned in a wide arc as the fastbiter followed her without delay. It was when she felt the moisture from the stream that she knew that she was doomed. Death was at her footsteps.

The fastbiter rapidly closed the gap, sensing victory.

It was when she could feel the breath at her back that the fastrunner finally knew her fate. With a heavy heart and a choked voice she said her last words...

"Alright, you win, Verant!"

...of the game.

Verant ignored the admission of defeat and made who won quite clear, tackling the fastrunner and pinning her down.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Ovie? You can't outpace a fastbiter," Verant lectured, "You've got to lose your pursuer, not outrun him."

Ovie groaned, only to coo with amusement as she heard the sound of numerous younglings landing on Verant's back, their blue and green forms periodically falling to the ground. In that atmosphere she couldn't help herself.

"Want to take your own advice, Verant?"

Verant just chuckled in response. "Gyors," he said to one of his children still climbing over him, "the idea is to land with your feet, not your head."

The small bundle of scales laughed as he hopped from his father's back to the fastrunner's, "But I got to you the fastest, Daddy!"

Ovie tried to restrain her amusement as the young predator hopped on her back with excitement, making her glad for her protective feathers.

"You know, Ovie, the kids need something more their size to chase," Verant suggested teasingly, "And you need the practice."

Ovie merely glared at her benefactor. "I think I will have more than enough things chasing me once my eggs come, Verant." She then looked at Gyors with more than a little amusement, "And what is your mother up to, little one?"

"I _was_ trying to sleep," Staza responded as she walked up to the group, "Unfortunately, someone here has never met an obstacle that he'd go around when he could go over it." She gave a meaningful look at Gyors.

"I caught Daddy, Momma!" the youngling exclaimed, unaware of his mother's annoyance as Ovie carefully nudged him in his mother's direction. A brief glance between the mother and the soon-to-be mother communicating volumes.

"Well, since I'm up, who wants to go catch something we can eat?" Staza asked her children.

"Tiny biters!"

The screeches of the excited children were almost deafening as they all jumped onto their mother's back as if synchronized by years of training. It took only a moment for her and Verant to exchange a nuzzle before she disappeared with the children into what was certainly another hunt.

"And this is why I stayed away until your hatchlings had grown a bit, Verant." Ovie snorted with amusement, but sincerity.

"If you showed up too early Staza might have eaten you," Verant replied. They both knew what happened to the eggstealer that had tried to live up to its name at the wrong nest.

Ovie shivered, not directly addressing the incident that was imprinted on everyone's mind. "Well… am I getting any better, Verant? I don't plan on stealing any eggs from you, but you know what we are used for from time to time."

"Yes, hunting practice for whatever predators are nearby," Verant replied. His opinions on the effectiveness of fastrunners as spies were well-known. His opinion of Ignis recruiting them for such activities was even clearer.

Ovie rolled her eyes. "Well a good thing that I am going to be focusing on raising eggs then." She gestured at her belly. "But we are not as useless as you think, Verant." The reproach in her voice was obvious.

"I never said you were. You're just not good at hiding and observing at the same time. You're good at escaping when you try, but spying on predators? That's asking for trouble."

 _Damn it, Verant. I already had one father; I don't need another one._

"I'm sure Ignis knows what she is doing. She needs all the help she can get with the troublemakers." Ovie sighed. "Why can't they leave good enough alone?"

"They're hidden runners. It's what they do. They plot rather than act. If Ignis would let me I could clear this problem up with a few friends by the next new Night Circle," Verant said.

Ovie laughed as she gestured towards her nest in the distance, "I think she wants to keep the body count down, Verant. I know, I know…" She smirked at him playfully. "...it is a weird concept to you fastbiters."

"How would you handle it, Ovie?" Verant asked, "If you wait too long to act things might be far worse than had action been taken immediately."

"And if you take hasty action then you might have a problem that could have been avoided," Ovie muttered as she began to walk back to her nest, "Don't worry, Verant. I am sure there will be blood soon enough. Let's just make sure our pack is far from it."

"You won't get any argument from me there," Verant replied with a laugh. He sighed somewhat sadly as he watched her walk off. "I've seen enough to last a lifetime."

Ovie turned back and gave him a smile. "Well, let's hope that we have seen the end of it then. Have a good night, Verant."

"Goodnight, Ovie."

* * *

 **Hello again, everyone! It is nice to finally again have a chance to update this story. Between the hectic situation at work, an illness a few weeks ago, and duties with upcoming family gatherings, I have not had as much time to write as I would have liked. Nonetheless, I hope that this chapter proves to be worth the wait. And, as always, I would like to thank my co-author, Historian 1912, for his contributions to the latest chapter. His assistance with the last two scenes in particular were very important in allowing me to break through a case of writer's block with regards to the 'present' portion of the story.  
**

 **DevoutRelic** : You know me and my love of cliffhangers. XD Oddly there is not a cliffhanger in this chapter... but whether that is a good thing for the characters or not I will leave up to your imagination. d-; As for the roleplay, it is utterly huge at this point and still going on each weekend. And I have not really made too many modifications to the roleplay except to omit the occasional scene that doesn't work for pacing reasons, or to make the occasional spelling or grammar correction. A lot of the credit for this has to go to my awesome co-author, **Historian1912** , who has made the roleplay into more of a collaborative story writing exercise. I love how the story is turning out thus far, and I look forward to seeing how it develops in the chapters that are to come.

 **bryan mccloud** : We will have to see how Wayward reacts to the sudden realization that this 'game' may not be proper for his audience. Though, yep, it seems that Spotter is looking for the ever practical solution to Ignis's little problem. XD He often things in the same way he hunts: strike unexpectedly, leave undetected, and enjoy victory.

 **Keioj6** : Yeah, the speed of forgiveness was quite rapid, but as we see in this chapter the philosophy of Dodger's pack has been shaped through their experiences. This has led to more than one instance of culture shock between the packs. As for Ignis and the hidden runners, let's just say that is going to be an important part of what is coming. As Ovie asked "Why can't they leave good enough alone?". We will soon see things from the other perspective. Civil wars are seldom simple things.

 **gordhanx** : Thank you for the detailed review as always. :) In many ways the last chapter (the past story anyway) was probably one of my favorite parts of the roleplay. It was interesting to capture the dynamics between Mender and Haven, Seeker and Ponder, and, of course, Tracker and Dodger. In this chapter we get to see a bit more of Mender's interactions, and echos from her past in the struggles of the present. Though I can certainly see where she gets her trait of tackling people to make a point. XD I think that Mender might still need a bit of work at her diplomatic skills even though they seem to get the job done. d-;

 **Thanks for the reviews, everyone! Though I have a lot coming up over the next few weeks (including some duties at my friend's wedding) I do hope to have the next chapter in a somewhat timely manner.**


	14. Interlude: The hidden side of the hidden

**-v-**

 **Interlude: The hidden side of the hidden runners**

 _ **Thus said Rhy'thnuk: "Remember that there are only three rules in politics. The first is: to make sure that your pillars of power are secure - if those who support you fall or are unhappy then you will fall as well. The second: to make sure that the pillars of power are fewer in number - as a greater number will be harder to satisfy, and easier for a rival to sway. The third: to make sure that you control the resources in your realm - as without those resources you will satisfy nobody and be ignored by all.**_

 _" **There are undoubtedly platitudes and fancy words to justify your rule, and countless social rituals to separate you from your followers, but you must never fall into the trap of believing in them. Down that path lies destruction. You can only do good deeds with your power if you first can maintain your power. Everything else is trivial."**_

 _ **Student: "But how do I know if I am a good ruler?"**_

 _ **Thus said Rhy'thnuk: "If the historians are too fearful to say that you are not."**_

 _ **Student: "But would that actually mean that I am good?"**_

 _ **Thus said Rhy'thnuk: "The histories seem to say so."**_

 **The ruminations of Rhy'thnuk**

 **From the Summation of Ancient Thought - Volume 86**

* * *

Viscond inspected the feathered face of the child as he carefully wiped away the blood from the beak. It was only when he was satisfied that the injury was minor that he stepped back and glared at the youngling, arms crossed.

"Bright Crest, what have we told you about fighting?"

"To not to," Bright Crest answered as he looked down, not meeting his father's eyes.

Viscond held his gaze for a moment before briefly looking in the distance at the other antagonist, a slightly older female who surprisingly had gotten the worse of the fight if her missing feathers were any indication. Her tearful words to her caregiver did not quite carry to his ears, but the fear on the caregiver's features was unmistakeable.

 _A child being injured by the child of the Leader, not an easy position to be in._ Viscond sighed. _Well I was never one to pull rank. If I must make amends then I will make amends… though in the right way._

Viscond turned and gave the distant guard a placative nod, before gesturing to his assistant to come forward. He could not show weakness in front of a lower ranked hidden runner, but he could use the proper channels to make sure there were no hard feelings.

 _Urgh… politics._

"And do tell me, son..." Bright Crest flinched at that word. Technically Viscond did not know if it were he or Ignis's other mates who was the father, but to him he was still his son. "...why did you decide to attack one of your mother's packmates?"

The implication was clear: _If you think I am mad then you just wait until your mother knows._

"Slight insulted Moss," Bright Crest replied simply.

Viscond kept his beak shut as the assistant stopped behind him and awaited further orders. Despite his years as the Leader's Mate, he still was not used to the niceties of being waited upon. Being a father, on the other hand, was something that came naturally.

He leaned down and lifted his son's chin in a placative manner, making sure that his son met his eyes. "What did she say?"

"She called her a 'wrong egg'," Bright Crest replied angrily.

Viscond didn't know that he was clenching his claws together until he felt the pain register in his mind. The gasp of his assistant, however, was obvious from the beginning. Now he had to act. Regardless of his feelings on the matter, and regardless of the consequences, he was honor-bound to act. An insult against his mate would not stand.

"Bring the child here."

The order rang in the air as the assistant directed two guards towards the child and the caregiver. Her attempts to obstruct them and beg was interrupted by her being pushed to the ground. Within moments a terrified Slight was being directed towards Viscond.

"Dad, what's going on?" Bright Crest asked, confused at how quickly things had changed around him, "What does that mean?"

Viscond suddenly raised his arm, which caused the guards to drop the now terrified child. It was only then that he looked at his son. "You don't know?" He carefully edged his head in a 'no' gesture, hoping his son would see it.

Bright Crest shook his head despite missing his father's cue. "I know it's not nice," he replied.

Viscond looked at the crowd to make sure that they had heard his son's words. "Well then. I think a simple education would suffice here then. No intent; no punishment."

The two guards, looking indistinguishable from each other with their moss-colored plumage, nodded in understanding as they allowed the caregiver to reach the child. It was then that Viscond addressed the terrified youth directly.

"Where did you hear that word?"

"I heard a couple of adults say it when they were fighting over something," Slight replied, still very much afraid.

"Ah, the idiots from up north."

Viscond snorted at the guard's words as the other guard tried to keep his composure. This absolved both the child and her parents from any culpability. That was when the caregiver bowing before him in submission caught his attention.

"Sir, I take full responsibility! Please leave my daughter out of this!"

The male held his breath for a moment as he considered the female. Based upon her scent and appearance she was from one of the southern packs, and if her daughter were being trained with his own then her child must have been one of the one's chosen for advanced training.

 _One of the gifted ones._

Viscond looked at the assistant for a moment. He could not afford to hurt relations with the southern packs, but at the same time he couldn't let such a slight go unanswered. Thankfully his son had already answered for him.

"Your daughter has already accepted responsibility when she met my son's claws; I consider you all blameless. See to it that she is taught what that vile word means and that it is never used against our Leader."

The female was taken aback as she looked up at the male, but then quickly rose and nodded her head in thanks being careful not to make contact with him. She hurriedly grabbed her daughter by the arm and led her away from the gawking eyes of the onlookers. His attempt to diffuse the situation with mercy while protecting his family's honor had been successful.

"A wrong egg, son, is when a mother takes a wrong egg into the nest and raises it as if it were her own. It means that someone does not belong. It means that someone does not _deserve_ to belong." He clicked his beak together. "It is something that one does not say."

"W-what?" Bright Crest sputtered before turning away from his father, fully intending to go after Slight and make sure she was _really_ sorry.

That was when he was stopped by his father's hand.

"She didn't know what she was saying, and even if she was we already gave her mercy." Viscond watched her retreating form as the crowd scattered. "When a decision has been made it is often best to stick with it. Mercy begets mercy. Hate begets hate."

"Then why'd you have Emerald and Do-er drag her over here?" Bright Crest asked, not being aware that it was impolite to use another's nickname when one was on duty.

Viscond looked down with a sad smile. "Had she learned to call your sister that from her parents then they would have had more than a bloody snout, son. It is a good thing that you made sure everyone knew it was a mistake."

This was not entirely true, but for once he hoped that his son would not inquire further. If things had not been resolved then he would have seen to it that they find out who the traitor was who expressed such sentiments and expel them. The child would not have been harmed. The parents on the other hand...

"Dad, what would've happened if I hadn't?" Bright Crest asked, sounding like he didn't really want to know the answer.

The elder male was silent for a few moments before answering cautiously, "When a decision is made it is often best to stick with it. But I am glad I didn't have to make that decision." He looked up at the tutor in the distance, before putting on a slight smile. "We will talk later, son. Now it is off to your lessons!"

As Bright Crest walked to the trainer, however, he couldn't shake his father's previous words from his mind. _But I am glad I didn't have to make that decision…_

"So am I."

* * *

"Wrok appears to be trying to woo some of the southern packs, but our plan on using leverage is working well."

 _So the outside world is as messy as in here,_ Penol, one of Ignis's cousins as well as one of her assistants, thought, _Not surprising. Ignis would drown in bones if we weren't cleaning up after her._

"Our plan on using leverage, Dravos? You need to be more specific. Are you referring to the fact that we have some of their packmembers as 'guests' here? Or are you doing one of your plots again?"

"Oh, Leader, you know that any plot would be in your benefit."

"Dravos…"

"We did not _directly_ threaten anyone, no. But we made sure to send the usual flyer messages from their families to them right before Wrok's emissaries arrived. Just as a helpful reminder of what we had in possession."

"So you threatened them _indirectly_."

"Why yes, that is what I just said."

 _This guy is Ignis's_ advisor _?_ Penol thought, disturbed by how casually Dravos spoke of what he did. She deliberately started to focus on her work, not wanting to hear any more of the conversation. _There can't possibly be anything I can learn from Dravos._

"And our spies? Have they said anything about pack sentiment?"

"The southern packs seem sturdy enough. Questor is itching for more power, as you know, but his power base is not sturdy. He knows that he can't lose the support of Malisor and Flonx without his territory being under threat."

"Well… nice to see our _loyal_ pack leaders are staying loyal."

"I am sure they will stay loyal as long as your scrape is honored by fate, Leader Ignis."

"Some people try to make their own fate, Dravos. That is the problem."

Penol couldn't help but look at Ignis in surprise. _I can't believe you just said that._ She now could see the reactions of the two hidden runners.

"Fate favors those who help themselves, Ignis." Dravos cooed, his green feathers and smooth gestures hinting at his manipulative manner. Every successful leader needed such a schemer, but that did not mean that they were not a potential liability. There was a thin line between thinking like the enemy and being the enemy. Though his blood bond to Ignis helped to resolve any doubts.

Whenever Ignis died, he would die. Such was the bond between a leader's Left Claw and herself.

Ignis, on the other hand, had dropped her normal majestic manner that she used with those who follow her and had adapted the usual 'family' demeanor. Though it was odd to hear her talk so openly of matters of life and death.

"We will need to see to it that Questor is dealt with once our current crisis is resolved."

Dravos placed a claw to his beak at this. "A pack challenge?"

"He was never a friend to my rule, and his schemes threaten our allies to the south. His second-in-command is a bit more reasonable, is he not?"

 _Why did I want this job again?_ Penol wondered before deliberately heading for the cave's exit with the bones she gathered.

"Leaving so early, Penol?"

Penol froze in surprise then stumbled, dropping the bones she was carrying. _This is bad. I'm not supposed to be noticed at all._

"You are not in trouble, cousin." Ignis spoke in a softer voice, "But this is training even though it may not seem like it. Why don't you join us?"

Dravos blinked. "Ma'am?"

Penol simply nodded obediently despite her rather fervent wish to be anywhere else at that moment.

As her cousin hesitantly stumbled to the meeting, Ignis tried to be as inviting as possible. Despite being the first to joke at family gatherings, Penol was now acting like a mere assistant and not as the trainee she actually was.

"Please sit down, Penol, Dravos and I were just discussing how to deal with a treasonous pack leader. But you heard all of that, didn't you?"

"Yes, ma'am," Penol replied with a nod, carefully taking the offered seat.

"And what do you think of what we are talking about?" Ignis questioned.

Dravos interrupted, "Ma'am, do you think that…"

"Shhh… Dravos. I asked my cousin a question."

"What exactly has Questor done? I can't have an opinion on what I don't know," Penol carefully responded, not sure her answer was the correct one. _Why do I get the feeling I missed those conversations?_

Ignis nodded. "That is a good question, cousin. Unlike our loyal Left Claw over here," Dravos knowingly bowed respectfully in acknowledgement even though Ignis was mocking him, "I do not wish to harm people without reason."

"The drowned sharptooth does not grow to become a hunter, my dear Ignis," Dravos retorted.

"And the tyrant does not deserve to keep power, my dear Dravos. Why don't you just tell Penol about Questor?"

 _Do these two even like each other?_ Penol wondered, _They don't sound like they think alike at all_.

"Questor is certainly an inspiring hidden runner. He rose from the lower ranks through the powers of his own mind. Conquering some through claw and others through mating."

Ignis groaned. "What he means is that he killed his rival tracker, then mated with the deputy's daughter, then when the deputy took over he killed the deputy."

Dravos spoke with a flourish, "Conveniently enough his previous mate has died and now he is an open male. Our sources indicate that he is preparing to make overtures to an open female who is close to Ignis." He smirked. "Wouldn't he be nice to have close to the scrape, Leader?"

Ignis groaned at her strategist's antics. "So… observations, Penol? What have you deduced from this conversation? After all, you might be in this position as something more than a guest one day. What have you learned?"

"Why is this guy still in command?" Penol asked, disgusted, "He's an embarrassment to anyone allied with him."

Dravos smiled. "She certainly opened up to killing quickly! She is certainly of your esteemed bloodline, Ignis."

Penol tried to protest. "I didn't mean…"

Ignis ignored Dravos's insinuation. "It is not our custom to intervene directly in the side packs, as that could lead to other side packs thinking that we could intervene with them. That could… ahem… lead to more problems. But Questor is certainly not worthy of being called an ally."

She then rubbed her hands together. "And can you tell why we have not directly called him out as not worthy of our alliance?"

"Other than it should be obvious he isn't worthy of anyone's alliance?" Penol asked before she could stop herself. She cringed. _Okay,_ now _I'm in trouble._

Ignis smiled at the outburst. "That reminds me of someone… but yes, there is another reason. Can you think of what it might be?"

After thinking hard for a moment, and realizing she wasn't in trouble, Penol shook her head. "I don't know."

Ignis gestured for Dravos to speak. He quickly obliged.

"Questor has many strengths, but self-reflection is not one of them. He does not realize that his ambition has already attracted our notice, and thinks that he is merely another pack leader to us. If we were to let him know that he is not welcome in our alliance, however, then he might openly ally with Wrok. And since he is an open male and the other southern packs have open females…" he gestured for Penol to finish the thought.

"He'd have plenty of reason to join them," Penol said, "and he might bring others into that alliance."

Ignis nodded. "Exactly. Now we have the unusual situation of trying to keep him thinking that he has our good graces while planning his demise." She sighed.

"Well, we could offer him a female," Dravos offered, "It isn't mating season so she probably wouldn't have to lay his eggs before we off him."

Ignis shook her head. "By the ancestors, Dravos! Do you even listen to yourself? Who would even want to volunteer for that mission?"

Dravos shrugged. "Your spies will obey your orders. If they are willing to die for you then they are willing to mate for you."

Penol deliberately kept her mouth shut. She knew she'd say something she'd regret otherwise. _You... you... Why does Ignis keep you around?_

Ignis clicked her beak in agitation. "I would never ask anyone to break a mating bond. I would never ask someone to engage in such…" She shook her head. "You truly don't feel what others feel, do you?"

Dravos nodded. "One of the duties of the job, ma'am. In my line of work feeling is not an advantage."

Ignis prompted, "But you feel loyalty to me, do you not?"

Dravos answered, "I feel as much loyalty as your father's Left Claw felt to him. He lived as long as your father lived."

Ignis's eyes darkened. "And you live as long as I live."

"Of course, ma'am."

 _I'm starting to think Ignis needs some new advisors,_ Penol thought.

"We will make overtures to him, but offer no mates. Once Wrok is dealt with then we will take care of this little problem. Was there anything else, Dravos?"

"Not at all, ma'am. Your orders will be carried out immediately. After offering a respectful bow he quickly walked away, leaving Penol with her thoughts.

 _I'm starting to see why everyone else is wary of us,_ Penol thought, now unsure that she wasn't well out of her depth, _What exactly have I gotten myself into?_

"He has saved me from more than one plot, but yet he feels nothing for me or anyone. I think he feels amusement… maybe some attachment but nothing more." Ignis spoke in a tired tone, most unlike how she had talked moments before. "I pity him."

"He scares me, ma'am," Penol replied, now thinking she could be a bit more honest now that she and Ignis were the only two currently present, "How do you two manage to work together?"

"You were wise to hide your feelings around him. You told the truth, but not the whole truth. Around one who plays with words, one must also be a master with them." Ignis advised. "You simply have to learn to play his game. He cannot mate and produce eggs, and his leg scar marks him for death whenever I die. So his only enjoyment is the dirty deeds he does in my service. It is a sick rule, but one that I am no less bound to."

"Why can't he mate?" Penol asked, "Err... nevermind. I don't want to know."

"There is much you probably don't want to know about the process, but I am afraid that you must learn as one day you will be on the succession council. You will have no vote on who Fate decides to succeed me, but you will see to it that things are carried out."

Ignis clasped a hand on Penol's shoulder. "You were the smart one. The advisors never have to watch out for being clawed in the back."

"Then I guess I'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen to you or your successor," Penol replied.

"That is the Left Claw's job, but you will have to see to it that a new Left Claw is selected and that the leader proves worthy of selection." Ignis's voice was far-away, as if haunted by a distant memory.

"Are you sure want someone that feels nothing watching your back?" Penol asked, too surprised by Ignis's reply to give consideration to her own.

Ignis took a deep breath, "It is our way. It has served us well until now. One without feelings does what must be done and is checked by the leader, and one with feelings reigns and is checked by necessity. As the stories tell us, we are half-teeth both of our natures must be respected in leadership. We must be leaf-eaters to our friends and sharpteeth to our enemies. The only difference, Penol, and the reason why you are hesitant right now, is because you never knew just what those lessons truly meant until now."

"I'm not sure I like knowing," Penol replied honestly.

"No one does, unless you are like Davros," Ignis agreed, "There are currently five like Davros in waiting. When the time comes one will replace him."

"Where are they? And what happens to the ones that aren't replacing anyone?" Penol asked.

"They are in training… and when it is time for one to take position, only the most capable is permitted to offer his or her services." She looked uncomfortable as she continued. "The scar and... everything else is done by their own hand. It is to show how much they want to live."

"WHAT?" Penol couldn't believe what she was hearing, "What do you mean 'how much they want to live'?"

"They either do it or they are drowned. The winner gets to do that honor to the others." Ignis answered with disgust. "The winner is who can get it done the fastest and then survives."

"I'm starting to see why your Left Claw is insane; there's no way not to be insane after that," Penol replied, her tone having finally dropped any hint of respect left in it due to her disgust in the subject matter.

"Sometimes I don't think I am any better."

Penol glanced away and said nothing. _After hearing all this, I'm not certain I can disagree._

Ignis rose from her position. "I hope that you continue your training here, cousin, and not just because of your cleaning skills." Her joke fell flat, but she tried to add some levity to the situation. "You care and you feel. We need more of that in the future. As the saying goes, one doesn't know how many fastbiters there are until one steals their eggs."

"Sound's like a good way to die," Penol observed, "I never really understood that saying."

"That's kinda the point, cousin. I am now in the nest, so to speak, and the biters are all around me. And it will be that way until I die. Just the same as it was for father, and grandfather, and great-grandmother, and all of the rest. Such is the weight I carry. What you will carry is the knowledge of what must be done when Fate decides it is my time to leave and another's to rise in my place. You must see to it that a hard heart can defend the packs, and that a kind heart can lead them. To do so, you must be able to have both."

Ignis began to walk away as she approached her scrape, her body now appearing much wearier than it had moments before. Penol wanted to comfort her, but she knew it was not her place. Being careful to gather the bones she had been carrying to headed to the exit of the cave, but she had one more question.

"Um… Ignis?"

Ignis's head rose from its resting position on the scrape.

"Your father's Left Claw… how was he, um…"

Ignis laid her head on the scrape again and for a moment Penol though her cousin did not hear her, but that was when a soft voice answered.

"The final test after selection is to make sure the desired leader feels…" she hesitated for a moment, as the scent of regret washed over her. "...I bashed his head in with a rock and wept, so I passed."

Penol was stunned and thought she could hear the slightest hint of a sob. But that was when Ignis's voice spoke one last time.

"Good day, cousin."

Understanding the dismissal for what it was, Penol left the cave with the same physical burden she'd originally intended to leave with. Her mind, however, felt far more weighed down than it ever had. She had much to think about.

* * *

"What do you think? Do you think that brute Questor is worth the trouble, or should we go for the other gambit?"

Wrok took another bite from the fish as he examined his deputy carefully. In many ways he was the only one he could rely on.

After all, one could always count on a spy to betray you.

"Questor has a tendency to kill his superiors; it might be to our advantage to let Ignis keep him," the deputy replied.

"Possibly, though I think Questor would prefer to have Ignis under him. He had mated his way to the top as many times as he has killed for it." Wrok snorted. _It is a shame I will have to kill this one, he makes for good conversation. But alas, too dangerous to turn and too dangerous to keep._ "Is Ignis satisfied with her three current mates or does she still find her back too cold for her comfort?"

Wrok enjoyed himself as the deputy tried to hide his reaction to having Ignis described in such terms. It had been this test that had confirmed this member's disloyalty before, but it had not stopped Wrok from promoting him. After all, it was handy to have a way to send misinformation to the appropriate listeners.

Other than a barely noticeable stiffening, the deputy made no reaction discernible to anyone other than Wrok except a rolling of his eyes before glancing back at Wrok.

"Her alliances with the three packs is a strong one, and of course the side packs show her respect as always. But this alliance with the fastbiters and the sap-suckers…. It is against the will of Fate!" Wrok roared as he recounted his usual diatribe, "And Fate will soon rid us of the defiler of the proper ways."

"That it will," the deputy said in reply to Wrok's last statement.

"Alright, I think I have an idea. I will have our flyer friends tell Questor that we are no longer interested in our previous offer. That will leave him to Ignis. Instead we will move ahead on our next objective." He smirked. "I want you to act like you are turning on me."

"Are you sure about this?" the deputy asked once he finally got over his shock. Secretly, he was elated at the news but no less surprised by it. "How do you want it done?"

Wrok acted unconcerned. "There is that flyer spy that we always see by the gorge, I am sure you can give him some information from me… and then once we have them eating from our claws then we can make things work. It will take awhile to build trust. But that will make it all the sweeter when it is time to show our claws!"

"Truer words were never spoken."

Wrok turned his back on his deputy as if to contemplate his situation, but his smile belied his true intentions. With a nod to the hidden runner on the rock wall he set into motion the act that was to follow. His friend would never make it back from the flyer. He would soon be found murdered with spears. A sign of Ignis's murderous intent to never pardon those who betrayed her. Offering badly needed evidence to his packmates that defection was not an option.

Then his true work would begin. Questor would certainly be useful… for the moment.

He turned around once more. "Make sure the flyer is told the exact opposite of what we were discussing. Make sure that he thinks we are playing the Questor angle to the very end." He smiled a predatory smile. "Misdirection comes before the ambush."

As the deputy saluted and went on his way Wrok widened his smile.

 _This should throw Ignis off of the trail. Now it is up to our friends to deal with the valley._

* * *

 **The Great Valley:**

"So how do we play this?"

The domehead watched the swimmers racing across the stream in the distance as if he had not heard his companion's words. However that was when he held up his hand.

"As much as I hate to say it, we wait. We wait until the fucking egg thieves get to the point, and then we make our move," he growled, "Even when the hidden runners have some sense they can't seem to do anything right!"

The threehorn stepped forward, his eyes shining in the moonlight. "How long are we going to wait? Every day that we wait the more accepting the valley gets of this… abomination. Littlefoot and the others were one thing; they helped us and left. But this…"

"You don't think that I know that? What do you propose that we do without Wrok doing his part? We can't frame them until he gives us an opening, then…"

"Shhhh…" the threehorn cautioned, "Here comes my uncle."

The two dinosaurs quickly stiffened up as the gray threehorn emerged through the foliage, a curious look on his face. That was when the threehorn stepped forward with a polite bow.

"It seems the domeheads dispute their placement, sir."

The domehead stepped forward with fake indignation. "You ignorant horn-faced…"

Topps's unimpressed growl interrupted the display as he examined the stream and the swimmers nearby. It was obvious that he had heard all of this before.

"Again? What part of the territory do you challenge, Nepha?"

The domehead looked taken aback for a moment before answering. "Well… my herd has been growing so it is only best that we get more of the stream."

The other threehorn protested, "And the swimmer herd hasn't been growing? They outnumber you three to one easily!"

"It isn't our fault that the swimmers breed like Rampaging Leaf-Swarmers…"

"Enough!" Topps roared with more than a little exasperation, "You can tell your claim to the valley during the next meeting. Until then the stream is shared, understood?"

The domehead held his ground for a moment before giving a reluctant nod and storming off. Leaving the threehorn and Topps alone.

"I never took you for a diplomat, Castor."

Castor looked at his uncle with a slight smile. "I normally don't have a domehead herd leader yelling at me, sir."

Topps snorted. "Alright, well… this can work itself out in a few days. In the meantime it is your turn to sleep and to let the others have a turn keeping watch over the stream."

Castor protested, but not heavily. "What bellydraggers would be stupid enough to swim through our streams?"

"Dead ones," Topps answered with an arrogant laugh, "But the youngsters need practice. Care to wake them?"

Castor smiled. "A training session, sir?"

"I think the little ones are ready for some training. Besides, the only way to keep Tricia out of trouble is to find her trouble."

Castor laughed as he strolled towards the herd's grounds. "You could just remove the bad influences."

Topps rolled his eyes. "Yeah… that worked so well with Cera. Have a good night, Castor."

As Castor bellowed a parting call Topps was left alone by the stream to await the arrival of what was sure to be tired and irritable children. _Welcome to the world of adulthood, children. It is not all fun and games._

He snorted as he took a drink from the stream. _Domeheads wanting to take swimmer territory, hmmm… something doesn't sound right about that._

It wasn't until he could hear his daughter's annoyed grunt in the distance that the reason why it seemed strange finally came to him.

 _The domehead lands are nowhere near here… then what was all of that about?_

As the sound of the advancing children approached him, he resolved to get the full story from his nephew.

 _Why was Nepha even here, Castor?_

* * *

 **Outskirts of the hidden runner lands:**

Petrie examined the ground below him with a mixture of annoyance and excitement. He was excited about the chance to enter the hidden runner lands again, but he was not so thrilled about the fact that his quarry seemed to be avoiding him.

 _How hard is it to find two fastbiters? Verant not tiny biter! Actually he has small biters; should make him easy for Spotter to spot!_

Nonetheless he continued his circling over what he knew to be Verant's territory. He would surely show up at some point.

* * *

"If you see one of those things, find a place to hide immediately," Verant whispered to his kids, all of whom had crowded around him the moment he'd stopped walking. _Even if they have time to identify Spotter, I'm not sure telling them to trust that flyer is safe._

Petrie again circled up ahead, not being able to see the fastbiters due to the trench-like impression in the hill. Just another one of Verant's innovations.

"Who is that, Daddy?"

"Is it Wayward? I like Wayward."

"Oh, let us see Wayward.."

"It's not Wayward this time, kids," Verant said. _I'm not sure he'd land anyway after your tree climbing during his last visit, anyway_.

"Oh," Gyors affirmed as his brothers and sisters muttered to one another, "A bad sharpbeak?"

"What do we do?" Ungu, one of his sisters, asked.

Verant suppressed a sinking feeling in his stomach at Ungu's words. With her bluish-violet hue and soft voice she looked and sounded so much like his sister at that age but thankfully lacked her disability.

"All of you stay here and keep quiet," Verant finally told his children, "I'll be right back."

The children obediently tucked themselves into the crevice, though each peeked their eyes through the opening, though only one could reach the top. As a result it was Gyors who noticed the flyer landing on the tree in the distance, letting out an annoyed screech.

"What's going on?" Sana called up to his brother.

"The flyer is talking to Mommy!" Gyors struggled to keep his claws on the ledge as gravity threatened to pull him down. "But if it's a bad flyer then why is Mommy talking to it?"

"Doesn't matter. Daddy said to stay here," Sana responded.

The small biter struggled to keep upright until several of his siblings finally pushed against his rear to keep him upright. That was when he caught sight of something in the weeds.

His father's tail.

His father was trying to sneak up on the flyer.

* * *

"Me guess me can give you message, but Seeker want me to tell Verant. It important."

Petrie was extremely careful to show respect to the female that stood some distance away from the tree. Showing honor when in another's territory was essential. Especially when the territory holder in question owed one a few rounds of payback.

"What's the message, Spotter?" Staza asked, "I can deliver it word for word if you want."

Petrie nodded. "Me know, but me should tell him too. Me not want to disobey Seeker. But me can tell you the message too." He looked around for a moment, as if he thought he noticed something before shaking his head.

"I'm listening, Spotter," Staza replied, either not noticing anything or not caring if she had.

Petrie quickly regained his composure. "Seeker says that it best that pack not get involved now. Let hidden runners sort out internal matter. But if our allies need help then allies need to tell us. If you friends need help, we are here to help. Our territory still where it always be. That most important message."

"Okay, so you came here just to tell us that?" Staza asked before stumbling a bit when she decided to make her view of Petrie less painful on her neck. Looking up could get uncomfortable after a while.

Petrie noticed this and decided to glide to the ground. Once he finally landed with a resounding thud, he addressed his host more directly.

"Not only thing, no. But pack think it important. If things do get bad though then we wonder if…"

"Hello, Spotter."

Petrie pushed off with his wings in a near-panic as the fastbiter's words echoed right next to his ears. In the process of scrambling to his old perch he succeeded in slamming his wing against the branch, causing it to snap and fall to the ground. It was only once he secured himself to the next branch that he allowed himself to calm down and assess his surroundings. He was met by soft laughter.

"You!"

Verant just smirked at the flyer.

Petrie fluttered his wings in indignation as he glared at the couple. "Fine, we even now! Me can't believe you still hold grudge because of Doc." He then looked at Tracker. "And you trick Spotter!"

"Yeah! Go Mommy and Daddy!"

Petrie merely slumped as he heard the children chirp in victorious tones in the distance. _How did Spotter miss those too?_

"If it makes you feel any better, I am just that clumsy," Staza said. She hadn't exactly been faking her stumble.

Petrie sighed. "Well, me can finish message. It obvious both of you doing well…" He looked in the distance at the bouncing tails in the trench within the hill. "You learn about scrapes from hidden runners?"

"The message, Spotter," Verant said irritatedly, ignoring Petrie's question.

Petrie was silent for a moment as he tried not to let the dismissal of his question burn him too much. _Protective of pack's secrets around Spotter. Me not surprised._ When he resumed his speech it was in a professional, if cold, tone.

"Seeker asks first what is your current status? Are you still a guest of the hidden runners?"

"More or less. I give those jerks across the stream something to think about," Verant answered.

Petrie noticeably smirked. "Nice to see the hidden runners still have their little disagreements. Who is the jerk across the stream? Me not know about that pack. They still loyal? They not with Wrok are they?"

"If they were, would I be speaking as if they were still around?" Verant asked.

Petrie nodded. "Point taken. Seeker then allow me to offer you this: if Wrok attack you then that be attack on Seeker. Simply send us warning with special word and we will help with tooth and claw."

He flew down from the tree, ignoring the pangs of fear in exposing himself to attack on the ground. Upon landing, he quickly bowed low and gestured for Verant to come forth.

Verant walked towards Petrie, face serious. The flyer wouldn't have returned to the ground for something trivial.

"Tell one of our allies 'red petals' if you want us to send help. If we need help then tell us 'blue petals'."

Petrie waited for him to nod before he rose from the ground. It was only then that he noticed the children slowly approaching from their crevice.

Staza immediately moved to cut them off. "I don't remember your father or I telling you it was safe to come out," she told the kids.

"But Daddy already caught him!"

"He isn't that scary."

Petrie resisted the urge to show off but merely gave Verant a knowing look. "It is even harder to keep the kids out of trouble when they can fly."

"I can imagine," Verant replied, "Speaking of which, how are they?"

Petrie smiled. "Still growing. We were very lucky to get them out of the mess with Path's parents and the valley." As Petrie spoke he could hear Tracker berating the children for their lack of obedience. It made him feel regret. "I didn't mean to cause trouble."

"So you can say 'I'," Verant said with a chuckle as Petrie groaned, "It's not a problem. They need to learn to do as they're told."

"Mate teach me to correct how... I speak." Petrie hesitated as he tried to use the proper words. "It better when talking to allies, but… I… not want her to know she winning."

"Your secret's safe with me, Spotter. I wish my kids could meet the rest of you. Gyors still doesn't believe you used to be a leaf-eater," Verant said in an attempt to change the subject.

Petrie nodded. "There is so much to catch up on. It is one thing to hear from flyer. It another to hear song from those who carry tune." He shook his head. "We also get interesting message from your sister."

"What message?" Staza asked, having just got back from escorting her children to another place to hide.

Petrie smiled despite the fact that it was obvious that the children were now being hidden away more as punishment than anything else. "Mender do well. Now at Hidden Rock with Ponder's family. She help Arial walk better, and help her find mate."

Staza couldn't hide her surprise at the last bit of news. The last time she and Mender had talked about mates, or more specifically Mender's ability to find one, it had been obvious that it was a sore spot for her friend. "How'd that happen?" Staza asked.

Petrie shuffled uneasily. "Well… me not know all details." Verant noticed immediately that he had lost his composure upon shifting back to 'me'. "But Wayward tell us that Detras want Mender to train them both. Mender kind of catch him, but not have chance to gut him."

"Which 'him'?" Staza asked, now a bit confused.

Petrie snorted. "Arial's mate apparently. Mender caught him twice. Me guess Arial insist on him not being dinner."

"Arial's mate isn't very smart, is he? How do you get caught twice?" Verant asked. His expression, however, suggested he was even more surprised Arial had talked Mender out of eating the unfortunate male.

Petrie shrugged. "Me no know. I guess we can ask when they get to pack lands. They finally come for visit."

"She'll like that," Verant said with a smile.

Petrie nodded as he stepped back and gave a slight bow. "Both of you invited. Me know you not give up on territory, but if things get bad you remember pack's message."

Verant looked somewhat torn. He definitely wanted to see his sister again, but it would be unsafe to leave his mate and his kids behind. Bringing them along wouldn't be much safer. And then there was Ovie. He didn't want to leave her alone either; the hidden runners had little reason to protect her..

"We won't be able to visit right now, Spotter," Verant finally said with a sigh, "but could you deliver a message for me?"

Petrie nodded readily. "Of course. Me tell pack whatever you like."

"The message is for Mender If that's not a problem, that is," Verant corrected.

Petrie nodded. "Of course."

"Staza, could you bring the kids back out?" Verant asked his mate.

"I'll be right back," Staza replied, already leaving the area.

Petrie looked surprised and glanced towards Verant for an explanation.

"She hasn't seen them since they hatched, and, well, they'd like to meet you," Verant said.

Petrie bowed deeply, shaking slightly. "You honor me more than me deserve. Me will tell Mender everything that me see."

Verant hesitated for a moment, but finally bowed slightly as well. "A pack must have its secrets, Spotter, but I trust you with my words. I trust few with that." He then smiled as the children and Tracker began bounding towards them, excited looks on their faces. "I just don't trust you with my patience."

Petrie smiled. "Me could be worse. We could have sent…"

"I am sure Taunt is doing well," Verant affirmed as the flyer unleashed a chuckle, "Spotter, I would like to introduce you to our children… they mean everything to us. This little troublemaker here is Gyors, and he is…"

As the family joyfully introduced their former packmate to their curious children, they did not see the two pairs of eyes staring at them from beyond the stream.

"Yes. Yes, I think we can make that work. Tell Wrok we will be willing to do our part if he is willing to do his."

As the messenger sprinted off the hidden runner could only smile grimly.

Soon his little problem would be dealt with.

* * *

 **Well this took a bit longer than expected. But now that Historian and I have resolved our recent bout of writer's block I think we are back to our usual efficiency. Now that we have seen a bit from the outside, we are next going to be going back to our main characters. However, they will soon experience the storm that will encompass the Mysterious Beyond. A storm not of rain, but of intrigue.**

 **DevoutRelic** : You made a lot of good points with your previous review, and indeed we are getting a bit more detail on some relevant characters in the hidden runner society and their plots. Sadly, with larger societies comes the problems associated with having many possible seats of power: corruption and ambition. Ignis is now faced with the necessity of rooting out a successful upstart who wishes to end her great innovation (opening the hidden runners up to others) in order to promote his own ambitions. While, at the same time, she has to avoid losing herself in the process. Wary is the head that wears the crown or, in this case, sits in the scrape. Soon the intrigues from the hidden runner lands will spill out into the open. And then our main characters will have to deal with the repercussions.

Oh, and as for your question:

Mender (Violet), Verant (Dodger), and Tracker (Staza) are all Historian's creations. I created those characters that are retained from the previous stories, and also Nahoda, Wayward, and the new hidden runner characters.

 **bryan mccloud** : Oh most certainly. I can easily see the rainbowfaces giving her a headache, especially if they do their usual talking in riddles routine. Axiom and Datum, on the other hand, might be easier for her to understand. Albeit, no less weird. d-;

 **Keijo6** : I am glad someone caught that. Originally I had not expected Orchid to join the pack until later as well, but, as stories sometimes do when you write them, the characters wrote themselves into that direction. Though he is at this point only a temporary addition until he can find his place, both he and the couple have a more pressing struggle ahead of them: the training. And yeah, I figured it was time for Ovie to make an appearance. XD Though from the perspective of a past version of Verant he might wonder why he is befriending a fastrunner and not eating her. How times can change a person...

 **gordhanx** : Thank you for the detailed review as always. :) It was quite interesting to originally write the reconciliation scene in the RP with Historian1912, and I quite like how it turned out in the end. Despite a significant difference in temperament and culture, both Dodger (Verant) and Seeker respect one another. Though now both Mender (in the past) and the fastrunners (in the present) have a most nerve-racking task ahead of them. They have accepted a potential path, but now they will also have to prove themselves worthy of it.

 **Thanks for the reviews, everyone! This interlude is quite a departure from what has come before, and it is meant to be a bit jarring, but I do hope that it doesn't break away from the suspension of disbelief. Despite their alliance with the valley and fastbiters, the hidden runners have a very different outlook on basically every aspect of their society, from mating to leadership. Now we are about to see what happens when these differences clash.**


	15. Chapter 13: A path traveled

-v-

 **Chapter 13: A path traveled**

 **Thus said Rhy'thnuk:** **"A good scouting mission can save you a lot of trouble. Do not send in the fleet until you are sure what they are entering."**

 **Student: "I thought that we were discussing life choices, not naval tactics."**

 **Thus said Rhy'thnuk: "In many cases the two subjects are not dissimilar."**

 **The ruminations of Rhy'thnuk**

 **From the Summation of Ancient Thought - Volume 86**

* * *

 **The past:**

Tracker had always been a bit slow to wake up when nothing dangerous was going on. The morning after the truce was no exception. She slowly blinked herself awake before slowly raising her head up, habitually checking for trouble. _Okay, I'm the first one awake. Odd,_ Tracker thought. Dodger was usually already up and about, never content that the area was safe without personally verifying it for himself.

Violet shifted uneasily in her sleep as a murmured word single word continued escaped her mouth, "Healer...healer…" The act of Violet mumbling in her sleep was a rare one. Dodger, meanwhile, continued to snore in what sounded like a light growl.

Tracker carefully moved over to a friend and gently shook her awake. _It doesn't sound like her sleep story is much fun._

"Won't cry…" came another phrase from Violet's otherwise unintelligible gibberish. It was followed by the fastbiter rolling over in her sleep, accidently plowing her head into Tracker's nose as the violet fastbiter continued to sleep.

"Violet, wake up," Tracker hissed, shaking her friend harder. _How Dodger can be an extremely light sleeper and his sister be almost impossible to wake up is a mystery to me._

Violet awoke with a jerk as her eyes flew open. For a moment the yellow orbs seemed to wear an expression of nervousness, but then they quickly relaxed. "Oh, it was only a sleep story."

"What was?" Tracker asked, wondering what was bothering her friend.

Violet chuckled softly. "It was such a weird sleep story. First Haven and Dodger of all people got into a fight… then Seeker knocked him out… then Haven and him made up. Craziest of all Seeker wanted me to become a healer." Violet shook her head as she prepared to lay down again, her eyes still heavy. "What a silly sleep story."

"Er, Violet, that all actually happened. You were actually panicking about that last bit last night." _And apparently still are._

Violet froze as if Tracker's words were strangling her. Instantly, her eyes went wide once more and her scent communicated extreme nervousness. "I… I… but I never tried to heal before! I can't even smell the plants from a distance!"

"You can still see. If you need help finding stuff, well, we've already worked together on that once." The latter part Tracker nearly whispered. _No one else needs to know about_ _that_ _._

Violet closed her eyes as she tried to bring her breathing under control. She had kept herself composed until Littlefoot had gone back to his sleeping area last night, but alone with her packmates she allowed herself to express her insecurities. The idea of even having a healer was unknown to most packs, but now they all saw the importance of that position. The thought of her having that much responsibility terrified her.

"Everything alright?" she heard Dodger ask. Apparently their conversation had just woken him up.

Violet took a deep breath as her tail lowered itself out of shame. "Sorry, I did not mean to wake you."

"I'm actually surprised you're up," Dodger replied, "You usually sleep until someone makes you get up."

Tracker coughed awkwardly as Violet rose to her feet without saying a word for several moments. When she finally spoke it was with a nervous, yet determined voice.

"I have to do this… but I don't know if I can."

"And what do you need to do?" _I really missed something important_ , Dodger thought in frustration, _I'm getting into bad habits around here._

Violet looked at him with an awkward expression. "Seeker said that I should become a healer… but I don't know what that means. Haven and Ponder used plants on you to do stuff, but what if I learn wrong and get plants that do the wrong stuff?"

"You'll do fine," Dodger replied, "Just pay attention and ask questions if you're confused. Just like you did when we were first starting out, remember?" _Granted, not all of those are good memories, and you can't remember much before that, but…_

Violet reluctantly nodded her head. "Seeker said he thought that I was the best candidate for being a healer… but why? What did he see in me?"

 _I wish I knew more about healing. I don't know what Seeker sees in her, but I know what I see in her._ "Have you ever done anything less than your best?" Dodger asked his sister, sort of dodging her question. No matter how many times he did this, Violet never seemed to actually notice or at least didn't bother to say anything about it.

"No.. I have always tried my best," Violet stated somewhat pitifully, "I just wish that wasn't usually not good enough."

"It's always been good enough, Violet. We're still alive. You made amazing progress with your sniffer in a very short time. If you keep trying your best you'll do fine. Better than me, anyway." _My healing skills aren't exactly anything to brag about._ What Dodger knew how to do was very effective and could mitigate injuries, but it was more preventative, such as knowing how to fall, or quick fixes, such as relocating his shoulder after a bad fall or a really bad fight. None of it was pleasant, and much of it was painful even when done correctly.

Violet remained silent for several moments before finally speaking aloud in an almost awe-like tone, "They can fix infections, Dodger, and kill with a single plant. That kind of power horrifies me." There, she had said it. More so than her usual fear of failure, there was also the fear of what these healing plants and the poisons could do. What if she got them mixed up one day?

"I'm not exactly thrilled by some of that stuff myself," Tracker said, "I don't think you're going to have to worry about poisons, though. I don't think they trust us enough for that." _And I really can't imagine a time when we'd really need it, except maybe the Orange Death._

"Then why did you want us to find it, Dodger?" Violet asked with inquisitive eyes. It had been that entire mission that had led them to Leap's path in the first place what seemed like ages ago.

Dodger glared at his sister for a moment, angry that she'd spoken in a normal tone rather than whispering. "I wanted to make sure we could find the cure for it. I also wanted us to have a way to survive if we ran into another desperate situation again." He couldn't stop himself from glancing at his mate as he said that last sentence.

Violet bowed her head slightly in apology upon realizing her faux pax. She remained silent for several moments after that leaving herself alone with her thoughts.

"Oh, it looks like they are awake!"

"Ready, Violet?" Dodger asked as he gestured in Ruby's direction.

Violet took a deep breath as Ducky came into view as well. The green fastbiter remained slightly behind Ruby out of respect of Dodger's sleeping area. A respectful change from the antagonism of the prior day.

"I… I'm ready," Violet stated with more confidence than she actually felt.

* * *

"So what is the violet one learning today?" Thud asked with some curiosity as he consumed some carrion that he and Taunt had found early that morning. It was like old times in a way for father and son to compete to find food.

Taunt chewed his food with some difficulty as the bloated corpse had already begun to release noxious fumes. This was not enough to make the food toxic for a predator like him but more than enough to make the meal less than ideal.

"They are teaching her how to use healing plants, I believe," Taunt muttered between mouthfuls, "Their pack does not have a healer."

Thud nodded. "True, but in their defense, son, most packs do not. Predators don't focus on plants all that much. Well… they didn't until they heard about it in your pack's songs."

The two dinosaurs grew quiet as they watched the training from a distance. Littlefoot soon joined them but did not break the silence as he was watching with some interest as well, but did not want to add to Violet's nervousness. Meanwhile, in the distance, Ducky began her lesson.

"Okay, Violet, we are going to start with finding plants that stop biting buzzers. These plants look like this." She held up a single leaf and allowed Violet to give it a quick sniff. The sniff was cursory, as seeing the leaf would be far more important in her case. "Are you ready to track the plant down?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Violet replied, "I might need a bit of help, though." _Unless it's nearby it will take a very long time otherwise. I don't track things. I trip over them._

Ducky nodded sympathetically. "Of course, with your sniffer this will be a bit more difficult without some help." With that she considered how much of a hint to give the novice healer. "This plant is found by streams."

Violet froze for a moment, remembering where she was in relation to the stream. _Got it._ She turned and hurried off towards the stream. She'd gotten pretty good at figuring out where she was over the years since she couldn't smell her way back home, but she'd never say she'd never get lost. Fortunately streams were relatively hard to miss.

Meanwhile, Thud, Taunt, and Littlefoot watched the retreating fastbiter with some interest as she headed off into the forest. Each was curious about how her first mission would go.

* * *

 _Okay, so where is it?_ Violet wondered once she arrived at the stream. Or, more accurately, got herself back on dry land after falling into the stream. _Stupid drops._

Unbeknownst to her, Petrie watched from atop the trees. Keeping constant observation of her progress. For now he merely raised a single wing to indicate that everything was going alright for now. He did not consider her clumsiness a mission ender.

Around Violet stood a wide variety of ferns and other plants. A few flowers stood at the level of her ankles which complicated her ability to find the green stem and red bulbed plant that Ducky had indicated. Now it would be up to her sniffer to aid in the search.

 _Some of these look way too similar. I hope none of them are dangerous._ Not being able to smell effectively very far, Violet moved slowly, using her sniffer to help guide her but relying on her eyes to rule out what obviously wasn't what she was trying to find.

Petrie waved one wing in a rhythmic fashion to the watchers some distance away. The message was clear, _She on the right track._

Narrowing it down to a small area in front of her, Violet carefully checked each nearby plant. _No. No. Not quite right. Definitely not right. No. No. Yes. Got it!_ Violet grabbed the plant but then released it. _Should I take it? If I take it, they won't be able to use it. How long does it take these things to grow back?_ Violet groaned in frustration, _Why is nothing ever simple?_

It was at that point that she heard an unexpected voice from above, "Good thinking, Violet. If plant taken then plant can't be used."

Before she could even reply the flyer gave a quick call into the air, "You can go back to the others now. They know that you passed this test."

Violet nodded in acknowledgment and hurried back the way she had come. _That went well, mostly. I can't believe Spotter saw that; there's no way he didn't see me fall into the stream. I hope he doesn't tell anyone._

* * *

"Oh, good! It sounds like she passed," Littlefoot muttered to himself as he heard Petrie's call, "Now they will get to the tedious part."

"Tedious part?" Thud asked.

Littlefoot nodded. "Putting the healing plants on correctly. If the sap of this plant goes into the eyes then it is quite painful."

Taunt nodded as a particular memory came to him. "As my mate was so fond of showing me…"

Thud rolled his eyes. "Whatever she did, son, I am sure that you deserved it."

Littlefoot coughed to break up the little exchange of taunts between family members. "Here she comes…."

* * *

 _I wonder what's next_ , Violet thought to herself, having slowed to a walk as she neared her friends and now teachers. _What's Haven doing?_

"Alright, Violet, what I am putting on myself is not something you would ever use. This stuff actually attracts blood-sucking buzzers," Ducky spoke nonchalantly as she put the goop onto her feathers, "So I hope that you learn how to use the plants you just identified very quickly."

 _You've got to be kidding me. Why would you ever do that? And what is that stuff?_ "I'm not sure I like this idea…" Violet said nervously.

As if on cue, the buzzers began to come from everywhere it seemed. Now Ducky was being inundated with the annoying things.

Ruby quickly handed Violet two of the bulbs. "Put these on her feathers, but avoid the eyes and mouth!" She tried to hide her discomfort with being hard on the new trainee, but she knew that it was necessary for this morning's lesson.

After all it was part of how the rainbowfaces trained them.

"I hope we've got enough," VIolet muttered before setting about her task. She started with Ducky's neck and hurriedly worked her way down. She intentionally left her friend's head untouched until she'd taken care of everywhere else.

Ducky kept her breathing under control as Violet actually did a fine job for a first attempt, but as the remaining areas were covered she noticed that her head was still left to be treated. This would be the challenging part.

"Okay, Haven. Hold still, please," Violet said, a bit conscious that she was the lowest-ranking one there if for no other reason than that Ducky could probably beat her just by tiring her out.

Dutifully, Ducky remained still as Violet's nervous scent radiated towards her snout. Though the fastbiter was so fixated on her job that the scent of nervousness did not have the bitter tinge of anxiety. _This is an improvement. Yep, yep, yep!_

By the time the only areas left were really close to Ducky's eyes Violet was really wishing Ruby would tell her to stop. Her progress at this point was frustratingly slow, but she really didn't want to cause her friend more pain or irritation than the buzzers were already causing.

"Okay, last one," Violet said. Once the plant was in place, she stepped back and pulled her arms against herself in an attempt to hide the nervous shaking that had been getting harder to control with each plant placed close to Ducky's eyes.

"Congratulations, Violet. You passed one of the most important tests that a healer needs to pass to become a healer," Ruby affirmed with some enthusiasm as she patted her on the shoulder.

"What's that?" Violet asked. She had no clue what they were trying to teach her except maybe to work quickly.

Ducky rose to her feet. "How to work even when you are scared out of your mind." As she said this she lightly touched one of Violet's trembling hands. "A healer must have steady hands and a clear mind even when they are scared. They have to be strong for the people who are hurt in their time of weakness."

Ruby nodded. "I can smell your fear over here, but your hands were steady as can be. That was the entire purpose of this test."

Violet just stood there, not quite sure what to say. She got the point, but she really didn't like how she'd been dropped into the situation without warning. The lack of prior practice had not helped her in keeping calm.

"It's okay to be upset," Ducky spoke softly, "but this is the only way to make sure you have what it takes without actually waiting for a serious injury to come to one of us. But now that we see that you can keep your cool under pressure, let's move on to something a bit more direct."

Ruby smiled before Violet could even ask the obvious question. "Which means no more tricks. Now we will show you how to treat some of the most common injuries."

 _Is it possible to use those on myself as well?_ Violet wondered, thinking back to her little stumble moments before. _I wonder if Spotter said anything about that..._

"Alright, let's start with how to treat a broken bone!" Ducky exclaimed with excitement as if that prospect were something perfectly normal for a healer to treat effectively.

"You can do that?" Violet asked, shocked. She vaguely remembered such an event in the pack's song, but it had more or less slipped her mind until now. "I nearly broke my leg once and kept telling Dodger just to leave me, but he refused. I didn't think I'd make it even if those spiketails didn't kill me right then. Prowler just left me there."

Ruby sighed. "Until the rainbowfaces showed us how it was done, we didn't think it could be treated either. We thought it was an injury that all you could do is… help the other person meet their ancestors quicker," she admitted regretfully, "But there is a way to treat it if the break is in the leg."

Ducky nodded. "You will need to find us a thick, strong stick, Violet. One that is about a half of a leg long and one sickle-claw wide. We will help you with cutting the vine you will need."

"Okay. I think I can do that," Violet replied. _I don't need my sniffer to find a stick._

* * *

There was something odd about how Violet went about her searches; Thud noticed almost immediately as soon as she only took a cursory sniff of the first plant she was meant to find. This was only further confirmed when she seemed to be unaware of the emotions of those around her. She knew that Ruby and Ducky both were not fake-faces, so the idea of them hiding their emotions from Violet for the duration of the test seemed unlikely to him.

"It is nice to see her doing well. Though won't it be hard for her to find plants without her…"

"Shhh…" was Littlefoot's reply to Taunt as he whispered something into Taunt's ear. Within an instant Taunt bowed his head in apology and grew quiet. That was the only sign that Thud needed to put the pieces together.

 _Oh. Oh…._

Thud now watched the healer-in-training with even more interest. A smell-blind fastbiter that managed to survive to adolescence. A most unusual occurrence.

* * *

Tracker watched Violet approach the carrion with an uncertain expression. The Bright Circle was now about to go down as her packmate had been training all day. She had verbally restrained Dodger from seeking her out on two occasions today as she knew his presence might make her even more nervous. But now it seemed that her training was finished for the day. But what that meant for Violet's mental state had yet to be seen.

"So, how did it go?" Tracker asked her friend once she was close. She was careful to keep her voice neutral, not indicating that she had any expectations one way or the other. If it had gone badly, Violet wouldn't react well, especially if she felt like she let a friend or family member down.

"I think that I need to use healing plants on my head after that… so much stuff…" Violet rambled as she rubbed her head and seemed to be looking at something in the distance as if she did not see Tracker in front of her, "A sharptooth shouldn't have to know that much about plants and sticks."

"So, what did you learn about plants and sticks?" Tracker asked. She knew from memorizing stories that it helped to say what she knew aloud and prove that she knew it.

Violet collapsed against the rotten corpse as she took a hungry bite from its flesh. It was several moments before she spoke again, "Well for one thing…" She then grabbed the exposed humerus from the rotten swimmer. "Did you know that a broken bone can heal itself if you put it in place with a stick and some vines?"

Despite remembering the "Song of the Seven Hunters" down to the last word, Tracker was still shocked at what Violet had said. "I thought those injuries were fatal. Especially if you break your leg." She could see an arm break being survivable. She was surprised she hadn't broken her own that time she dislocated it. But a leg break? That was impossible.

Violet looked at the bone with excitement at Tracker's question. "Wait! Give me a moment so I can find a stick and show you." She then sprinted off without letting Tracker get in another word.

 _Well, at least she's enthusiastic about this_ , Tracker thought with a smile. It was nice to see Violet excited over something for a change.

It only took a moment for Violet to arrive again with a stick under one arm and a vine wrapped around her body like some kind of intractable parasite.

"Alright, now we need to break Mr. Dinner's leg here." With a sudden flourish, Violet kicked the swimmer's half-eaten leg to break its tibia like a twig. Nonetheless, partially decomposed flesh remained over the broken bone.

Tracker couldn't help but flinch at the thought of what that would feel like. _Ouch._

"Now that his leg is broken he should be dead, right?" Violet asked with all seriousness, "Um… I mean… if he wasn't already dead then his broken bone would mean he would be dead… Damn it, I think I was around Ponder too long. Her way of talking is contagious."

"Language, Violet," Tracker warned. _It might not kill her now, but making sure she's in control of every word she says should keep her safer. Or at least that's how I was taught._

Violet covered her mouth in shock. "Did… Did I just say that?"

Tracker nodded. "I think you've been hanging around Taunt too much. Words can get you in trouble. Just look at Taunt." _Not_ entirely _fair, but he does get himself into trouble quite quickly._

Violet bowed her head apologetically. Her exuberance of her new skills being dampened by a reminder of her impulsivity and inexperience.

"Well… now his leg is broken, and if it is going to mend itself then it needs to be held in place," Violet began, "So we need this stick to keep the two broken parts in a straight line."

"And the vines keep the stick where it's supposed to be?" Tracker guessed.

Violet nodded, her excitement suddenly returning. "Yep! So we tie the vines like this…" She held the stick in place with her arm while she tied the vines to the best of her ability with her feet and her mouth. It took awhile, but within minutes the leg was secured in the manner in which she had been trained. A once fatal injury could now be treated.

"Wow. That's great, Violet." Tracker honestly couldn't find words to adequately describe just how important this was. _This literally changes someone's life. Saves it, actually._

"I know," Violet affirmed, "There was a bunch of other stuff as well that the pack learned from other travelers… a seed that will make you vomit if you eat something bad… a root that makes pain… um… become less painful… and even a stem that makes people want to mate more. Though I don't really know why a healer would need to know that."

Subconsciously she was gesturing towards all of the areas where these plants were located, her mind visualizing the plants as she mentioned them. It was something that she was not aware of consciously, but Tracker could see the understanding in Violet's eyes. She was a fast learner.

"See," Tracker said, grinning, "You can remember this stuff."

Violet froze for a moment as she suddenly realized what she was doing with her hand gestures. Had she really memorized all of that?

"So what have you two been talking about?" Violet heard Dodger's voice from behind her.

Violet froze for a moment, her words suddenly failing her due to her surprise at Dodger's sudden appearance. Somewhat awkwardly, she gestured at the leg she had just 'treated' in the dead swimmer.

"Care to elaborate?" Dodger had heard the last bit of Tracker and Violet's conversation. He knew that she had learned quite a bit about healing plants, but he was a bit confused on how that had anything to do with food.

"Um… if a dinosaur has a broken leg… like in this food here," Violet gestured more closely at the leg, "Then you can use a stick and vines to keep the bone ends together. If the bone ends stay together then they can mend together. It takes about… two cycles of the Night Circle for a bone break in the leg," she finally finished as she remembered Ducky's words.

"Well, that's… Wow. That's amazing." Dodger was nearly stunned speechless.

Violet smiled at her brother's response. "It will be nice to finally be useful," she spoke to herself, not realizing that she was speaking aloud.

"And who told you that you weren't?" Dodger asked, frowning.

Violet froze for a moment. "No one… It's just that I have always been a burden. I couldn't even hunt." She frowned, though her eyes now burned with determination. "But now there is something that I can do if it ever comes to that."

"Violet, you've never been a burden. Ever. I wouldn't know what to do if I lost you." Dodger had nearly staggered at his sister calling herself a burden. _Prowler, I am going to kill you if I ever see you again._

Violet was speechless and merely nodded her head politely at her brother's words of support. It was then that the samples of healing plants that she had tied to her right arm fell to the ground and rolled in front of Tracker.

"What's all this?" Tracker asked Violet.

Violet was immediately back into healer mode as she scanned her plants and rolled them back onto the vine and again tied them to her arm.

"This is red-stem; it helps to make a dinosaur um… pee more often if they have an infection down there…" she quickly moved on to less awkward plants, "This is white cap; it can help a dinosaur sleep, but it can also make them see things that aren't there… This is brown cone; it helps to treat stomach pain… this is green seed, it helps to prevent sickness from old meat…" she continued on for several moments as she went down the plants on her arm. After one day it seemed to her companions as if she had every plant in the territory memorized.

"Is there anything left for them to teach you tomorrow?" Tracker asked jokingly.

Violet answered somewhat seriously, "Oh, yes. They want me to learn about what all of the parts do tomorrow. The bam-bam... the brain… the green thing in the abdomen… the brown tongue-thing that you find inside of big dinosaurs… a lot of stuff. They said that they learned all this from the rainbowfaces when they were working on Taunt…" she hesitated, "er… from the male rainbowface, I mean. Ponder said he was more open to talking about such things than the female."

"I'm almost certain I don't want to know how those rainbowfaces learned this stuff," Dodger said. He couldn't imagine a way of learning about all that in a way that wasn't extremely grisly. _I thought they weren't supposed to be dangerous, exploding rock they don't have anymore aside. This is… alarming._

Tracker shivered, "I guess it is a good thing that our hosts decided to let the rainbowfaces be allies. They sound scarier than most of our fellow sharpteeth."

Violet shrugged, "Haven and Ponder said that they were really nice. Weird, awkward, and kinda scary… but nice."

"I think I'll just take their word for it and not find out for myself," Dodger said. _I could use the same description for Path and Taunt, and both can be plenty dangerous when they want to be._

Violet could not argue with Dodger's assessment as her fatigue finally caught up with her. A yawn escaped her mouth before she even had time to react. Though her mind was still going a mile a minute, it was obvious that her body had other ideas.

"I think I will try to sleep without the plant that makes you see stuff that isn't there," Violet noted with some humor, "Unless one of you think that would be a good idea."

Dodger just shook his head. "Goodnight, Violet."

Violet yawned again as she headed back towards her sleeping area. "Goodnight, Dodger and Tracker." She yawned again, before suddenly remembering another thing that she had meant to say earlier. "In order to see what the body parts do we will need to hunt something new… I hope you both are looking forward to another hunt tomorrow."

"Are supposed to be looking inside it while it's still _alive_?" Tracker asked, alarmed. _That's not only cruel, it's dangerous._ For a fastbiter, Tracker really didn't like causing others pain almost to a problematic degree.

Violet blinked. "No.. No, I don't think so…" The cruelty of that possibility caused her to freeze. "After we kill it but before we all dig in, Ponder is going to have us cut it open so that I can see the parts. Apparently some parts turn different colors when sickness is around… not just the brown thing that you always told us to look out for."

Dodger just nodded, relieved, while Tracker visibly relaxed. "Well, I'm glad that's cleared up," she said. She walked over to her and her mate's sleeping area and settled down to sleep. "Goodnight, Violet," she muttered almost too quietly to be heard.

"Goodnight, Violet," Dodger said before turning to join his mate.

"Goodnight, brother."

As she walked away she could feel an odd mix of excitement and uncertainty for what awaited her. Success was not a common experience for her, and she had little idea of how to process the moment. The only thing that she knew was that her training would continue tomorrow.

She smiled. She looked forward to it.

* * *

 **Back to the present:**

 **And as my first training day ended,**

 **My confidence felt somewhat mended!**

 **Though new toils would come the 'morrow,**

 **My mind no longer was fixated on sorrow**

As the purple fastbiter finished her song with an excited wail, Nahoda was left considering his current situation in his mind.

First, he had barely any sleep since the purple menace had woken him up shortly after midnight...

Second, though he appreciated her motivation, perhaps beginning a lesson with an endless song about how she was trained by even more horrifying sharpteeth was not the best way to start off things… and third…

"Oh by the stars, she isn't going to let us go back to sleep, is she?"

The words were out of his mouth before he could regain control himself, but thankfully the rapturous sound of approving hoots overrode his voice.

 _Saved by the applause._

As he joined in the polite foot stomping and cheering he looked towards his two companions. His mate, beautiful as ever, appeared to be sleep-stomping as her head slumped and eyes drooped despite her best efforts. Only Orchid's demeanor appeared more wakeful, but that was only because his face was not in view. For all Nahoda knew his mate's brother might have been sleeping while standing. That was when he caught Mender's gaze.

She was beaming! She had no hint of fatigue at all, no hint of exhaustion. If it wasn't for the fact that the Bright Circle was only beginning to peek above the horizon one could be forgiven for thinking that it was midday by her demeanor. _What in the heck is wrong with her!_

"Good morning, Children! Up early today?"

Nahoda nearly tripped over his own feet at the sound of Detras's voice. As if the young day could get any worse, now the instigator of his torture appeared to be mocking them. It was only when he dropped a fish in front of him, and Pearl did the same in front of Arial and Orchid, that he realized the magnitude of what was about to happen. Was this the only food that they would get on this day? It was then that the elder fastrunner leaned in and whispered into his ear.

"A word of advice, Nahoda… a fast wit is best followed by fast feet."

Nahoda did not understand at first, but that was when his eyes locked onto Mender's. The slightest hint of a smirk was being made with her tail. She had heard his outburst. In the end he couldn't tell if Detras's words were made in kindness or amusement.

"Good luck out there!"

* * *

" **You have to be faster, Nahoda! Sharpteeth don't take breaks!"**

There was quite the audience on top of Hanging Rock as Mender put the trio through yet another mock hunt. Though it was not lost on anyone present that Nahoda was being caught more often than the others.

"Dear! You didn't tell Mender to pick on Arial's love, did you?"

Cynnil shifted her gaze towards the elder male as Buse snickered behind her. Detras, for his part, merely shrugged. "I didn't tell her to do that, if that is what you are asking."

"You probably didn't need to," Buse interrupted, which earned him a warning glance from his pack leader. Cynnil was not quite sure if their commentary was welcome in an argument between mates. Buse's outburst earned the hidden runners the attention of their hosts, however, as Pearl turned her attention to Cynnil.

"Let's just say that Mender… has some history with fastrunners," Cynnil offered carefully, "You make for a challenge."

" **That is better, Orchid! But you can't hide very well when your tail is showing!"**

Detras snorted as his son slowly climbed down from the crevice and proceeded to run off again as part of the 'hunt'. He was getting better, but Detras could tell that Mender was being easy on them for the moment.

"Well one thing that I will say for your packmate, Cynnil, is that I am glad she is on our side. Otherwise I fear that our children would not stand much of a chance."

Cynnil smiled. "She is just doing her part to make sure that her patient and her friend's family are safe, and if that means getting plenty of chances to chase…" She shrugged in a humorous way. "But your children are not doing poorly; they…"

" **Gotcha!"**

Everyone grew silent as Arial sighed below the massive rock formation. Even though Mender was careful to tackle her in such a manner as to prevent injury, the mere act was enough to make everyone pause. It was only when she rose and dusted herself off that everyone present allowed themselves to take a breath.

 _...are just inexperienced._ Cynnil finished internally. Though the fact that Nahoda looked ready to run towards Mender was not lost on her. His protectiveness was obvious.

"Well he has the part that you can't teach. Now it is just the teachable part that he needs to learn," Detras noted.

Cynnil nodded as Pearl asked the obvious question. "I wonder how long that will take."

* * *

The young fastrunner tried to suck in air despite the pained protests from what seemed like every muscle in his body. His arms hurt... his legs hurt… even his tail hurt. But despite his best efforts it seemed that he was doomed to be the snack of a sharptooth one day. How could he protect his mate if he couldn't even defend himself?

The fact that he was failing in front of his mate's parents and that Mender was so damn chipper was not helping matters at all.

"All three of you are fast, but you lack stamina. Your old strategies don't work on fastbiters."

Nahoda could practically hear the whine in Orchid's voice as he protested, "Then how do we beat you? Aren't you supposed to be teaching us?"

Nahoda turned his attention back to the violet torturer that was his teacher on this day and noted the sudden glimmer in her eyes. It lasted only a moment, but that was long enough for Nahoda to realize that Orchid had asked the right question.

"Sometimes the best lessons are those that you teach yourself."

Nahoda blinked as Orchid fell over in exhaustion and Arial groaned. The day was only halfway over, and now it seemed like they had nothing but training to follow. Though in this brief moment of rest her words seemed to echo in his mind.

 _Sometimes the best lessons are those that you teach yourself._

"You all have a few moments to consider your plan, fastrunners. Then the chase begins again."

Despite his fatigue, Nahoda forced his body to stumble over to where his mate and Orchid were reclining in similar states of utter exhaustion. It was only when he allowed himself to sink to the ground again that anyone spoke.

"We suck."

Normally such an undignified and blunt outburst from Orchid would have resulted in laughter from everyone involved, but now Nahoda could only nod in agreement. They had indeed performed poorly today and their bodies had the aches and pains to prove it.

"We're not fast enough," Arial added as she nuzzled Nahoda, making a shiver run down his back. However, this also had the effect of making something click in his head.

"Maybe we are thinking about it wrong? What if we shouldn't focus on running?"

Silence fell over the trio for a few moments before Arial finally gave him a playful nip.

"Dear, sometimes you are stupid. We are fastrunners! Running is what we do. A slow fastrunner is a dead one."

Nahoda groaned. "So we're doomed then? Because we appear to be pretty damn slow compared to the purple monster over there."

"I still have good hearing!" Mender's voice called playfully as she drank from the stream nearby.

"I wouldn't want you to miss out!" Nahoda retorted as he laid his head down and groaned. Before recent events the mere act of talking to a fastbiter would have seemed like a suicidal undertaking, though now being a meal seemed like a more merciful outcome than their recent training.

It was then that Orchid's voice broke him from his downtrodden thoughts. "Wait… maybe Nahoda has a point."

Nahoda blinked. _I do?_

"He does?" Arial's voice echoed his own thoughts.

Orchid jumped up. "Remember Mender's song from this morning?"

Arial yawned. "She didn't give us much of a choice did she? I thought you slept through most of it?"

Orchid rolled his eyes as he continued his thought. "She had to face her own weaknesses and use her strengths to counter them. She couldn't smell, but she could remain calm under pressure. So, since we can't keep up with Mender what do we have that can counter her?"

The three were silent for a few moments as each slowly rose to their feet. There was an obvious purpose to their movements now. It was Nahoda that finally broke the silence.

"What's the plan, Orchid?"

The fastrunner smirked. "I think it is time that we use Mender's weakness against her."

* * *

 _Looks like they're getting better,_ Mender thought to herself, _Is it possible to be frustrated and happy at the same time?_

She had seen the fastrunners bound off into the distance earlier but had intentionally plugged her ears when they began to discuss their plan. The point of this exercise was not to win, but to test their resolve and skill. The skill had been lacking up until now, but now it seemed that the lessons of her song might have finally gotten through their feathered heads.

The fastrunners had run towards the more mysterious part of the Hanging Rock region as far as Mender was concerned. The ravine split into two, forming an odd V-pattern in the weathered rock. On both sides of the split ravine crevices cut through the rock forming what looked like vertical splits in the rock, many of which could be climbed. These would be the optimal places to hide as they offered a path to the bluffs above. But they also contained their own risks...

 _I'm not seeing many places they could hide, at least not in front of me,_ Mender thought, _Not many cracks. If they have any sense they wouldn't have gone that way._ She moved a bit further down that direction just to make sure she wasn't missing anything. _I guess I should try the other way._

She ran in a brisk pace as she approached the other side of the ravine. This side had more crevices, so the thinking went, so they probably went in this direction. It wasn't until she approached the rocks, however, that she caught the most interesting clue.

 _Oh, come on, Nahoda. My sniffer isn't that bad,_ Mender thought, trying not to laugh, _Couldn't you hold it?_

Shaking her head at the scent of urine she peered into the crevice.

* * *

"She is falling for it!"

Orchid struggled not to drop his sister as she balanced on his back to look out the top of the crevice. If Mender was inspecting Nahoda's planned 'panicked pissing' at the other crevice then that meant they had led her off of their trail. Being careful not to attract attention to themselves, Orchid merely gave Nahoda an approving look.

 _I think we did it!_

* * *

 _Well, they're not in there... Okay, Mender, think. Where could they be hiding?_ She started looking around for other possible hiding places. _What about over there?_

Not wanting to startle her targets, she approached the crevice as quietly as she could. _I've got you now._

Mender hurriedly rushed into the crevice, confident that she was going to catch her query.

* * *

"She totally fell for it!"

Orchid nearly dropped Arial as she was caught by her mate and led to the ground. Within moments the fastrunners were celebrating as silently as they could manage as they joined their hands in victory. They had finally fooled the purple fastbiter.

"It was so simple… just give her a distraction and then let her follow it," Nahoda whispered, still amazed that it actually worked. Even if she didn't find anything in that crevice she was surely focused on that area now. They were home free.

"She gave us a hint in her song," Orchid noted as he attempted to stretch his aching legs in the small crevice. Being cramped in here with two others almost reminded him of the hiding spots that his family had used when predators came near.

 _Well, there is a predator nearby._ Some part of his mind added.

That was when he was nearly pushed into the crevice wall as Arial moved to nuzzle her mate. Her words being a bit louder than she intended. "She is a good healer and friend, but by the stars is she worse than Daddy when it comes to lessons."

Nahoda chuckled. "Well consider her teacher. Your sister did quite a trick on her according to the song."

Orchid snorted. "I wonder what Sis would say about all of this?"

"Whatever she'd say, she'd probably say it twice."

Orchid nearly crashed into the wall as the predatory voice suddenly called out behind them. Within moments the three fastrunners had half-collided, half-fell into a ball of fastrunners at the feet of the fastbiter. They had been captured yet again.

His heart sank as he closed his eyes. They had failed after all.

"You have just learned a very important lesson that Prowler never learned: always have a backup plan. Can you think of anything else that you did wrong?"

Orchid could feel his sister groan as she tried to rise to her feet but gave up in mid-attempt. "We took our eyes off of the danger."

Mender nodded. "Exactly. You never take your eyes and ears off of a threat until it is dead. Otherwise you may be dead."

Nahoda grumbled. "We noticed."

The three fastrunners slowly rose to their feet in preparation for yet another chase. They thought that they would have a success at last but instead they had simply received a reminder of their lack of preparation for the dangers of the Mysterious Beyond. With grim faces they awaited Mender's new instructions.

"Congratulations, you passed."

Orchid nearly tripped over Nahoda and hit his head on the crevice wall in the process. But, after rubbing his head, he quickly did a double take at the fastbiter.

"We what?" Arial croaked out.

Mender smiled at their bewilderment. "If you had listened to my song then you would know why already…" she teased playfully as she stretched out her legs, "What was the main lesson that I had on my first day as a healer?"

Nahoda answered hesitantly, "You learned how to get healing… wait no… you learned how to handle stress?"

The fastbiter nodded. "Exactly. This was something that Haven and the others had learned from the rainbowfaces it seems… a test of character comes before a test of skill. Skill can be learned, character cannot."

"But how did we handle stress well?" Arial questioned, "We got caught."

Mender nodded. "Yes, you got caught. But before you did you worked together and tried something new to evade me. If you have that drive to survive, and that willingness to learn, then you can accomplish great things."

The three fastrunners looked at one another with a mixture of pride and relief as Mender walked out of the crevice and called towards her pack. Maybe the situation was not as dismal as they had feared.

"I think that this might not be so bad after all," Nahoda affirmed. That was when the voices of Mender and Cynnil could be heard from outside the crevice.

" **Alright, they passed the first test! Let's get a full meal ready for them so that they are ready for tomorrow. I think it is time that they learned night tactics."**

" **Are you sure that they can go without sleep for much longer, Mender?"**

" **Well if they are ever attacked at night they will be sleepless as well. They can always sleep after the Bright Circle rises tomorrow."**

Orchid did not need to look back to guess the expression that his sister was giving her mate at the moment.

"Nahoda?"

"Yes, Arial?"

"Sometimes you don't know when to shut up."

* * *

 **Seeker's territory:**

The pink fastbiter kept her eye on the little fuzzballs as they continued their odd 'game'. From her vantage point it looked like they were trying to stab blunted sticks into odd-shaped pieces of wood, but she was not too sure. The only thing she was sure about was that the little ones were preoccupied with something, which meant something great indeed.

She had a few moments of peace and quiet.

Knowing that the moment would be gone at any moment she took a deep breath and confronted the subject that had been on her mind for days now: the situation with her sister.

 _A flyer was supposed to fly there and then fly here, but then the hidden runner crisis happened so that didn't happen!_ She grunted in frustration. _But even so we should be hearing back…_

"The relieving spot is an odd place to be thinking in. Did you get tired of your old Thinking Place?"

Ruby didn't even look back as her mate's words reached her ears. Instead she merely gestured at her children in the small furrow between Lookout Hill and the hills beyond. "I think where I can think. We do have children, you know?"

As if sensing her annoyance Littlefoot edged closer to her and stared out at the curious sight below them. It only took him a few moments to assess the situation.

"Rubbing sticks together? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Ruby smirked as she looked at her mate's face. They spoke simultaneously.

"Rainbowfaces."

The two then watched the motions of the children more carefully. They couldn't really hear the banter from here except for the occasional protest as one hurt their hands trying to perform whatever task they had set themselves to accomplish.

"Seeker, I think the kids are up to rainbowface shit again…"

"We know, Taunt." Littlefoot's voice was more amused than anything at the moment. "What do you think Chronos decided to share with them?"

"You mean what did Chronos share with his children?" Cera prompted as she came on the scene as well, "It always seems to find its way over here."

"I just wish some news about my sister would find its way over here."

There was silence for a few moments as Ruby watched the little one with a wistful expression. They reminded her so much of her siblings when they were younger. Playing in the water… getting into trouble… Now she was in the role that her parents had been in. Part of her still didn't believe it, but that was what made her sister's injury so much harder to accept.

After all, her own children were not the only children she was protective about.

"Dear, I am sure that your brother and sister are fine. If they are with Mender then…"

"And Spotter was going to check on them on the way to Verant and Staza, so we just need to be patient." Ducky arrived on the scene, having noticed that her own children had joined in the odd 'game' that the rest of the younglings were engaged in. "I am sure if anything was wrong then he would have told us first. He would, he would."

Ruby turned back towards the others with an apologetic expression, more than a little ashamed of her standoffishness.

"Sorry, everyone. I guess I am just worried, you know? With everything that's been going on… it just reminds me of when Redclaw began scheming his schemes."

Littlefoot's face was grim as he nuzzled his mate. "If it gets that bad, dear, just remember we have allies everywhere. Wrok won't get that far. We forbid it."

"Hear! Hear!" Taunt affirmed as the others grunted in agreement. That was when the commotion of the fastbiter children below was suddenly drowned out by the flyer children below.

"Daddy!"

"Daddy's back!"

The fastbiters barely had time to react before Petrie's form descended upon them like a shooting star, landing only meters away from the predators.

 **Caw!**

"Damn it, Spotter!"

Ruby resisted the urge to roll her eyes as the brown flyer gave a satisfied growl at the surprise from the rest of the pack. Once again he had caught them with their attention focused elsewhere. But it was not the reminder of their complacency that was first and foremost in Ruby's mind.

"Spotter? How is my family?"

Ruby watched the flyer's features for any hint of foreboding, but much to her relief only a kind smile radiated from his beak. Or, rather, as much of a smile as his kind was capable.

"Family is good! But that be long story. Spotter full of long stories today."

Ruby calmed immediately as she nodded and let the flyer tell the more pressing information as far as the pack was concerned, the situation with their allies and the hidden runners. As long as her family was doing well then the details could wait. Though when Petrie did get to that matter she nearly fell on her face.

"Oh, and Mender nearly accidently kill Arial's mate."

Ruby knocked her mate over as she barreled at the flyer, "She what? Her what?"

"Well not accidently, but Arial cleared things up. So now Nahoda, your siblings, and Mender are coming over here!" Petrie continued as if he had had plenty of time to make his story seem more reasonable in his mind. "Well after Mender gets done training them."

Ruby's mind was racing. _My brother and sister come here? Well, it is safer here than the Mysterious Beyond, and they can't stay with Mom and Dad forever… but mate? Training? When did all of this happen?_

Taunt's words were even more succinct. "What?"

Littlefoot rubbed his head crest for a moment and took a deep breath, trying to sort out the confusing tangle of threads that confronted his pack. Down below his children were playing a game only known to them, while in the Mysterious Beyond, somewhere, hidden runners plotted for uncertain ends. Now it seemed even the fastrunners had decided to join in the confusing chorus of harmonious discord. There were too many songs with unknown verses as far as he was concerned. It was then that he noticed his son's eyes lock onto his as Biter suddenly stopped playing his mysterious game.

"Perhaps you should start the story from the beginning, Spotter." Littlefoot grinned with determination as his son quickly tried to hide his handiwork. "As my mate says, every story begins with a beginning."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Thanks for the reviews, everyone! As many of the reviews mentioned the same things I will go ahead and respond to general points that have been made in both the reviews and the PMs I have received. Not surprisingly the last chapter was probably the most controversial in style of those in the trilogy thus far, and I would like to elaborate on the choices that were made and what they indicate.**

 **The overall objective with the 'interlude' chapter was to evoke the full extent of the culture shock involved with the hidden runner culture. I wanted the reader to feel like a visitor in an alien world, with cultural norms and traditions that seemed nearly incomprehensible. The lack of explanation is part of the intended process, though I can understand why many of you may not like the intended result. The interlude was meant to confuse and shock, using the 'Deliberate Values Dissonance' and 'perspective flip' tropes, and to foreshadow what will soon transpire in the main storyline. If the reader is left with a feeling of "What in the hell was that about?" then the interlude has done its job.**

 **Beginning with this chapter the normal storyline has resumed once more (with 'present' and 'past' scenes) and the focus has shifted to the usual characters. Though we will soon see where the plot threads that have been introduced in the interlude will begin to intersect the rest of the story.**

 **Even though the hidden runners are both leaf-eaters and sharpteeth in their diet (half-teeth) their unique culture has formed due to being isolated from both the prevailing cultures of the Mysterious Beyond. This chasm between the ways in which the different species think can have major implications for misunderstandings and potential miscalculations... but I will leave it there lest I spoil anything d-;**

 **But once again, thank you all for the helpful feedback and criticism. The plot points that have been introduced in the last few chapters will soon begin to coalescence into the prevailing plot of the story. I look forward to your thoughts in the chapters ahead.**

 **~Rhombus**


	16. Chapter 14: A Path Decided

**-v-**

 **Chapter 14: A path decided**

" **Congratulations! You have decided to enter the Consortium Cadet Program. This is the beginning of a 42-cycle training regime of which many of you will not advance. But, as the ancient texts tell us, the longest journeys begin with a single jump."**

 **Consortium welcome message,**

 **Cadet Program Initiation text**

* * *

 **A few days later:**

"You know, guys… the whole bright pink thing doesn't really work in the grass."

Mender had to suppress a laugh as Buse stated what was on all of their minds at this point. In the lush green vegetation Arial's bright pink coloration, a blessing in attracting mates, was also quite attracting of less desirable attention. Thankfully all of the predators around on this day had more benign intentions.

"Well I can't exactly change my feathers!" Arial huffed as Orchid laughed loudly. Nahoda, showing a brief moment of self-preservation, forced his mouth shut.

Mender smiled as she looked towards her pack leader. "So, what's going on, Cynnil? This isn't really a good place for anyone to try to hide. It's too flat. Even the plants stand out here."

Cynnil nodded. "Exactly."

The hidden runner stepped forward as the three fastrunners stared at her oddly. Mender had been the one leading the training until now, but then Cynnil had decided to pull rank and to lead a training day. In the distance both Detras and Pearl watched the scene with interest.

"Today we will test you on something that each prey kind must know: when to run. You will not always have a convenient cave. You will not always have a forest. You will not always have protection. You must know when it is time to use your special talents."

The fastrunners listened intensely as Cynnil quickly took on the mantle of teacher. Mender, meanwhile, stood close behind in the style of a second-in-command. It was a most curious change from the previous days.

"So you want us to know when to run?" Nahoda asked, "If that's the case then we can all start running now."

Mender glanced from Nahoda to Arial and back. _Did he learn nothing from yesterday?_

Cynnil laughed. "Yes, you have already learned how to hide… and today you will have to run. But this is to see if you know the right _moment_ to run." She gave Mender a glance as she gestured for her to step forward.

"This is a fastbiter. Mender has been a good teacher thus far, showing you far more than what a fastrunner generally learns except from experience, but there are certain lessons that a sharptooth would be unaware of. Such as how we, the food, must avoid being eaten."

The hidden runner turned with a flourish, gesturing at Mender. "She has had to run for her life, and she has had to act as if she were hunted… but such is the fate of hidden runners, fastrunners, and other half-teeth for the entirety of our lives. Such is our fate." She turned back towards the fastrunners gesturing at them as if punctuating every point. "You have learned to see things from Mender's perspective. Now you will have the opportunity to incorporate this into what you already know."

 _Now I_ really _get to chase you,_ Mender thought perhaps a bit too eagerly for Nahoda's nerves.

"This is a little exercise that young scouts must do if they are to serve the Leader. It is called the Wait and Runs. You should run as soon as you think you must to escape the predator… but run too soon and you lose. The last one to run away but who 'survives' to reach the stream wins." She crossed her arms. "The first one to five wins gets to have dinner."

Orchid looked at his companions for a moment before sighing. "This is going to take all day."

"You think this is bad?" Mender asked, "I've gotten chased for _days_."

Nahoda opened his mouth, but then quickly shut it, instead shaking his head. "So… this is to combine what we know with what we learned?"

Cynnil smiled, speaking under her breath. "He is learning…" She quickly resumed her teaching voice, however. "That is the idea, yes. Everyone ready?"

The fastrunners each gave one another a questioning look. They were now much more confident in their abilities but just as confident in their benefactors' ability to challenge them. With a few nods and grunts they turned around and spoke in one voice.

"Ready!"

Cynnil smiled. "It's like they're in the pack already."

* * *

 _They're not getting away from me this time,_ Mender thought, slowly stalking towards the fastrunners. She tried to keep quiet and low the way she would in a real hunt. _There's not many places to hide out here. No wonder they always stay close to Hanging Rock when we're not training. I doubt even Cynnil could hide out here for more than a moment. The plants around here stand out too much to make good hiding places, and there aren't many holes to crouch down in. This is almost going to be too easy._

The fastrunners huddled together as they waited for the right moment to bolt. Leave too early and another 'survive' by leaving later… and they lose. Leave too late and get 'eaten'… they lose. Only the one with the right timing would win the round. Despite their obvious agitation they continued to wait, though Arial was beginning to eye the stream.

 _They really don't have any easy test this time,_ Mender thought, _Leave too early or too late here and you lose. If they make those same mistakes in a real hunt, they might make themselves much easier to catch._

But unbeknownst to Mender the thoughts on one of her prey were focused on something far different than the task at hand.

* * *

Orchid watched the predator approach, but his mind was miles away. As Arial tensed beside him and prepared her legs for the sprint to come, and Nahoda positioned himself for the quickest path, Orchid merely kept his focus on Nahoda. He would certainly be the first to bolt so he would follow. After all, Arial was always the most adventurous one and would probably make the mistake of leaving last.

 _Leaving._

Despite him making peace with his parents and everything working out in the end, there was still the not so simple matter of what to do after he left. He couldn't simply stay in Seeker's territory without having tensions with Arial and Nahoda's budding territory, and he couldn't leave to go on his own without risking becoming a predator's meal. Training or not, the risk to those like him in the Mysterious Beyond was very real.

But he had to admit that ever since he had left on his journey to alert the pack during the incident with Path's parents that a sort of wanderlust had resonated in his bones. The desire to strike off to see new places… to find new wonders… to see the sights that his dad had seen in his days... to perhaps find a beautiful female of his own one day…

Then there was the pack.

Despite the brutal conditions of Mender and Cynnil's training there was something there that appealed to Orchid, if not to his aching muscles. These were dinosaurs who had seen things few fastrunners had ever seen and done things few could imagine. How much could he learn from them if he only had more time? The idea of being in a larger pack, with its extra protection and company, appealed to him in some way. It was enough to make a question appear in his mind.

 _Arial and Nahoda are going to stay in my sister's land… but what if I stayed with Cynnil's pack?_

"Now!"

With little warning both Nahoda and Arial bolted towards the stream, leaving Orchid as the last one standing in place. It only took him a second to come back to his senses.

But that was a few seconds too late.

"Are you taking a nap?" Mender asked Orchid, tapping him on the back as she passed swiftly on her way to the other fastrunners.

Orchid groaned. "It looks like dinner is going to be late today..."

He did not notice Cynnil's piercing gaze in the distance. _So much like Mender… I wonder if his song will end up being similar._

* * *

 **The past:**

Thud noticed the retreating fastbiter with more than a little interest. He had only heard of smell-blindness as a childhood disability, as those who suffered from it were often not permitted to survive. Resources were too scarce to waste them on a child who would not live to adulthood.

But yet this one remained. This could only mean a few things. One, her parents decided to give her a chance despite her disability… and secondly, she had survived despite all of the odds.

It was with some hesitation that he cleared his throat and spoke in his politest voice, surprising the female.

"Hello, Violet. May I speak to you for a moment?"

"Um, okay," Violet replied nervously. _Why would he want to talk to me?_

Sensing the nervousness in her scent and demeanor, Thud began to second-guess his decision to confront her directly. He wanted to keep this conversation discrete, but he also didn't want to scare the poor adolescent.

"If… this is a bad time then we could talk tomorrow with the rest of your pack. I just… um…" he hesitated nervously in a manner that would have made Taunt double over in laughter if he were present, "...thought that this should be discussed in private."

Violet looked at Thud oddly. A pack leader not acting like he was in complete control of the situation was almost a novel experience for her. "You wanted to talk to _me_?" Violet asked, still not quite sure how to act.

Thud nodded. "Yes… as this involves you," he realized how his words could be interpreted and quickly clarified, "You are not in trouble or anything."

 _Yep, I'm in trouble._ "Sir?" _Why can't he just say what he wants to say?_ Violet wondered.

Thud looked down. "I was the youngest of four when I was hatched many seasons ago. By all rights I would have been considered the runt and would have been the one to be sacrificed had it been necessary for my family," he spoke in a grave tone that made Violet look at him with wide-eyes, "But another paid that price in my place even though we were not starving. My father decided that food could not be wasted on one of my siblings. It was simply the way of our pack…"

Violet's eyes went wide in alarm. _Where is he going with this?_ _Maybe I should start running…_ She glanced back the way she had come, back towards her packmates.

"Even though I never really remember my brother… he died too young… I regret not having him in my childhood. He would have been welcome with Screech, Salene, and I… Even if Taunt had had the same disability as my unlucky brother I would not have done what my father had done in that situation." He sighed in resignation. "Though I understand his reasons."

 _Why is he telling me this?_ Violet wondered, _I'm missing something._

"...Normally a fastbiter with that kind of disability never has a chance to live to adulthood… though I am sure that they would do well if they could survive the dangerous years of a fastbiter's life… the path to being accepted into a pack."

Violet decided to risk coming across as rude to get some clarification. "Could you be a bit more clear, sir?"

Thud sighed. "You're smell-blind, Violet. You're the very first one that I have seen that has survived their childhood years."

Violet felt extremely embarrassed for not understanding sooner. "Dodger's been watching out for me my whole life," she said in explanation, "My siblings are, well, were, rather protective of me."

Thud nodded. "You already had your pack so you didn't have to struggle through the 'finding'... most packs are very selective and cruel when it comes to accepting newcomers… even Seeker's pack." He frowned. "One must make sure that a newcomer can be trusted. If not… well…"

"Do you have a problem with me, sir?" Violet demanded, feeling quite offended by what Thud seemed to be insinuating. She barely remembered to add the 'sir' that his rank demanded.

"No… no," he added more resolutely, "I just wanted you to know that your packmates must love you very much, and that you can trust Seeker's pack. Any other pack might have reacted much differently upon finding out."

"Not everyone in my original pack, the one I hatched in, liked me. Some liked to tease or otherwise embarrass me. My siblings eventually, um, decided to do something about it," Violet admitted. _I was surprised Seeker's pack didn't tell me to leave when they found out about my smell-blindness. Near-smell-blindness, anyway._

Thud blinked. "Oh?"

"They intentionally picked a fight with the worst ones and beat them up pretty badly." Violet looked away, somewhat embarrassed at having been the cause of trouble just by existing. No one had bothered her after that, though.

Thud nodded. "Sometimes force is the only way. To show brutality will, at worst, make you look guilty, but to show weakness will, at best, make you look like a weakling. It is an unpleasant truth, but one that we must accept."

Thud again looked at Violet and nodded politely. "I'm sorry for disturbing you from your rest, Violet. Good luck tomorrow." He then awkwardly began to move away, feeling more than a little self-conscious about the whole conversation. _Why did I even do this? She is not my brother, and I shouldn't have bothered her with this! This is not what a pack leader does!_

"Sir, can I ask you something?" Violet asked, feeling extremely embarrassed. Since the two were alone, she'd have enough privacy to answer a question that had been bugging her for a long time.

Thud froze and slowly turned to face Violet again. It was an unspoken invitation to continue.

"Some years back, I got into a fight with my old pack leader." Violet cringed in embarrassment. "I talked to Haven about this a bit, but I, um, left a few things out."

Thud sat down on his haunches and gestured for Violet to do the same. "Go ahead, Violet. It seems that tonight we all are coming clean."

"Well, Prowler...that's our former pack leader, was not always the easiest person to get along with. He never liked me much. I used to pester him until he nearly took a bite out of me. That was before this incident. We got into an argument while Dodger and Tracker were scouting for food." _Almost every really bad incident with Prowler occurred when Dodger was nowhere in sight._ "He sort of taunted me into challenging him. It was a mistake." Violet couldn't help but cringe at the memory. Prowler had nearly beaten her senseless. She subconsciously touched the scars on her side.

"Was it an attempt to establish dominance by him, or was it an attempt to eliminate you?" Thud asked rather bluntly, "From what I have gathered from talking to Seeker, Prowler did not seem like a particularly upstanding pack leader. A leader should not need to reinforce his dominance each day, unless he is unworthy of such dominance."

"By the time the fight was over I was having trouble standing," Violet said, "The fight ended because Dodger got back. It's the only time I've ever heard him curse. Tracker practically dragged me until we were out of hearing distance even though that hurt me quite a bit. Dodger didn't even give me a lecture later. He didn't even act like he cared that I started it. Why was that?"

Thud spoke with an almost fatherly tone, "For one thing, Violet, you were provoked to action intentionally. Do you not find it odd that this all happened while your protectors were away? Did all of your fights begin like that as well?" he looked at her knowingly.

Violet looked away, embarrassed at her own foolishness. "Yes," she admitted, "The fights, anyway. That wasn't always true with insults, though."

Thud nodded sadly. "Everyone deals with a weakness in a different way. Prowler sounds like an incompetent leader who tried to follow in his parents' footsteps, and he adapted to his shortcomings by using brutality and insults. You have smell-blindness and adapted by relying upon the only allies that you could trust, your brother and Tracker. My son… he relied upon me before I made the worst mistake of my life and joined with that monster… and he adapted to his physical weakness by relying on humor. We all adapt in our own ways, and some of those ways are less healthy than others."

"I thought Taunt's only problem was trying to prank Stern Claw," Violet replied, "That's not a good idea." _That was rude, wasn't it?_ "Um, I mean…"

"It's alright; my son would appreciate the insult," Thud laughed slightly, "But no.. he had many problems growing up. He was so weak that we had to help him out of his egg…"

"I was the last to hatch in my nest," Violet said, "I was actually a few days behind my siblings."

Thud nodded. "We had tried so many times to have a clutch that when we finally had an egg we weren't going to give up on it. But many would have looked upon our act as an abomination. It took several years before Taunt was finally strong enough to hunt on his own." Thud frowned. "When he was a young child and heard me and my mate discussing the food situation, he actually told us to forget about him and to move on to better places… he was too sick to safely move and blamed himself for our lack of food. That broke my heart."

"I know what that feels like," Violet replied, "We went after some spiketails once. I got hit. Prowler ran right past me. I can't really blame him for that. _I_ thought my leg was broken. Dodger got me out of there despite me telling him that my leg was broken. Turned out I was wrong. Obviously."

She gestured at her completely functional legs. "It hurt too much to walk, so we didn't make much progress. Prowler kept glaring at me the whole time. I tried not to show just how badly I was hurting, but…"

"Sometimes weakness cannot be hidden," Thud affirmed, "It is how we deal with weakness that matters. Prowler handled his by weakening his companions, but it looks like you have the opposite effect, Violet. You have brought out the better instincts of your companions."

"It's nothing I did," Violet said, "Dodger's always been like that. He once jumped into a river after Tracker fell in. She actually got her first kill during that time." Violet looked down. "It took me much longer," she muttered, not really intending to be heard.

"Who would Dodger be without friends to protect? Who would Tracker be without a friend to watch over? I see the way that they act around you, Violet. You are part of what holds your pack together. Never doubt that."

"Thanks," Violet replied, not really believing Thud. _There's no way I have that much effect on anyone._

"You may not believe it, but it is the truth," Thud noted good-naturedly, seeing through Violet's doubtful tone, "Besides, it seems that you have found your calling now. With a bit more training you will only be the third pack to have a healer. Ponder, Haven, Leap... and now you."

"I hope I can do it right. I only just managed to get my first kill." Violet cringed at bit, realizing she might have just humiliated herself.

Thud froze for a moment when he heard the fastbiter's words. Despite the fact that he had gotten the same information from Littlefoot, it was still a bit hard to believe. This pack of what was little more than adolescents had to grow up so fast. It reminded him of Littlefoot's pack in many ways. They also had to grow up far quicker than others. The result was a mixture of traits that were both childlike and brutally adult.

"Everything begins with a beginning," Thud noted, being careful not to let any reproach enter his voice, "Success only comes with practice. That is true for both killing and healing."

"I hope I don't have too much need for what I'm learning. I'm usually the one that gets hurt," Violet said, sort of laughing at herself.

Thud laughed lightly. "You worry too much, Violet. You almost sound like Leap did when he first joined my pack. He is quite a cautious one..." He shook his head. "Just listen to what the two healers teach and I am sure that you will do fine. Not to mention, whatever you learn can be taught to one of the others as well, provided that Dodger or Tracker wouldn't mind getting lessons from you."

Violet looked at Thud, shocked. _Me teaching anyone? Are you crazy?_ she thought, her little teaching session earlier that night completely forgotten.

Thud laughed at her expression. "The first step to being a teacher is to be a student, Violet. Don't count yourself out." He smirked a bit as he gestured behind her and pointed at his ears. "It could always be worse, you know? You could have the duty of teaching my son…"

A somewhat distant growl of annoyance was the only indication of Taunt's attempt to sneak up on the two. Thud wasted no time in whispering in Violet's ear.

"Don't worry, he just got here. I'm sure that he didn't hear anything." He smiled as he then intentionally increased his volume. "What do you need, son? Did your mate kick you out of the nest?"

Taunt groaned as he entered the area. "We don't have a nest, Dad; you know neither I nor Stern Claw are at the Time of Eggs."

Thud smirked. "And if you keep on annoying Stern Claw then you might not live to see the Time of Eggs."

Taunt tilted his head in annoyance. "Dad!"

Violet just cringed in embarrassment. Just listening to the conversation was awkward, especially since she was pretty sure she was going to reach that age without a mate.

"But, anyway, what did you need, son?" Thud finally asked, seeing Violet's reaction.

Taunt cleared his throat. "Seeker wanted to talk to you about something when you had a moment," he smirked when he saw Violet's reaction, "When you are done flirting with Violet that is." He quickly gave Violet a knowing look that said 'watch my dad react to this.'

Violet caught Taunt's look, but that didn't stop her from glaring at him for a moment. _Why would you suggest that… augh._

"Son, one day your wit is going to get you hurt. I don't think that you want your healer pissed off at you on that day," he smirked back.

Taunt rolled his eyes. "Are you kidding? No one can withstand my charming personality." The tone of his voice indicated that he knew that he was being sardonic.

"I guess I'm 'no one', then," Violet said, feeling it slightly easier to joke with Taunt than anyone else and wanting to get back at Taunt for his previous joke.

There was silence for a moment before both Taunt and Thud erupted into laughter. It was Taunt who spoke first.

"Ha! I knew that she had some spunk in her! But anyway, should I tell Seeker that you will be by soon?"

Thud gave him a wave of the hand. "I will only be a moment."

With a final toothy grin and a respectful nod to the female, Taunt bounded off into the bushes. No doubt on his way to report back to Littlefoot.

"My son's wit sometimes leaves a bit to be desired," Thud noted with amusement, "I suppose it is a good thing that he was also always one of the fastest fastbiters. A fast wit is best followed by fast reflexes."

"I'm a bit too clumsy for that," Violet said.

Thud nodded. "I… would not recommend acting like my son. His pack understands him, but it is always best to avoid humor when you don't know how others will react. He once told me that he had been chased from three territories before he finally impressed Skytail's pack." He rolled his eyes. "Who knew that implying a pack leader had carnal relations with his mother was not a good way to make friends."

"He said that? Even I'm not that stupid."

Thud snorted. "In fairness to my son, the male had insulted him first, but yeah… it was probably not the most diplomatic solution." He then looked in the direction of Littlefoot's sleeping area. "I suppose that I shouldn't keep Seeker waiting. My apologizes for taking up so much of your time."

"You didn't waste it. I'm still surprised you wanted to talk to me," Violet said. _It's not like I've made a very good impression before now._

"Why would I not want to talk to you, Violet? Anyone would have freaked out after hearing about what happened back in Calin's time. The only thing that any of us can do now is move on and to make sure such outrages don't happen again." He then began to walk away. "Have a good night, Violet."

"Goodnight, sir," Violet said. She wasn't about to use Thud's name without permission.

"Thud," the male corrected, "After discussing what we just discussed Thud is fine."

Without a further word Thud disappeared into the bushes. Leaving Violet alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Thud arrived at Littlefoot's sleeping area with more than a little uncertainty. "Seeker?"

Littlefoot arose from beside Ruby with a yawn. "I take it that you were not mating with Violet as your charming son seemed to imply?"

Thud groaned as he glared momentarily in the direction of Taunt and Stern Claw's sleeping area. "Why that little… No. No, even if she had asked that of me I don't think it would be worth Dodger's reaction."

"Violet would certainly have to use her healing skills then, because someone would need to be healed," Ruby muttered as she continued to lay in her spot. It was obvious that the day of training had exhausted her.

"Well that is good," Littlefoot noted with a chuckle, "I actually wanted to talk to you about something rather important. Something about Dodger's pack."

Thud tilted his head. "Go on…"

Littlefoot looked Thud straight in the eyes. "After Violet's training is complete, how would you feel about helping them find a suitable place to make a new home?"

Thud held his breath for a moment as the ramifications of that echoed in his mind. Undoubtedly this was something that was becoming long overdue, but that left Thud with one more question.

"...and what if they would prefer to stay with your pack… or mine?"

Littlefoot looked at his mate for a moment as an nonverbal conversation appeared to go on for a few moments. Finally, however, Littlefoot spoke with a tired voice.

"Then they will need to decide that very soon."

* * *

 **The present:**

Cynnil watched as Nahoda barely dodged Mender's touch before finally being forcefully nudged just short of the stream.

 _Another win for Mender._

She couldn't help but smile at her subordinate's enthusiasm during this exercise. The fastrunners may have had to win five rounds in order to earn dinner, but Mender would have had enough meals to feed a pack by now if she had been permitted to finish her chases. The fact was that when prey waited until the last moment there was little room for error. No one in an actual survival situation would wait until the last moment to flee. But part of having a defensive strategy was to know one's limits.

And the fastrunners were having those limits challenged on this day. But none more than a certain male fastrunner.

 _Only won a single round and that was because the lovers crashed into one another._ As Orchid again looked towards Cynnil before averting his eyes and trying to focus his attention on Mender's suggestions the pack leader could only shake her head.

 _Just like Mender. Completely unable to hide what is on his mind._

The pack leader rose to her feet. Perhaps it was time to have a different chaser to challenge the fastrunners.

Not to mention that she had a hunch to test.

* * *

 **The past:**

"Alright, Violet, I think you have got the hang of it," Ruby affirmed as she placed a hand on her shoulders, "Just remember that removing a burrowing buzzer can be painful…"

"Can be?" Finder muttered as he groaned, "You have to dig into the skin to remove the fucking bastards."

Ducky smiled. "So what is the next step, Violet? Do you remember?"

"Put that sap on it so it doesn't get infected?" Violet asked. _Should've answered faster with a question that obvious._

Ruby nodded. "Correct. Make sure to get it deep in the hole. You can tell that little guy has been in Finder for a while."

Finder groaned, "Don't even start…" but it was too late.

"How are things, Finder?" Taunt's voice carried from some distance away, "You seem a bit down. What's been eating ya?"

Breeze rolled her eyes as she tried to sooth her growling mate. "I seem to remember a certain orange fastbiter who had a few of these in him a few Night Circles ago…"

Finder muttered, "He has no shame…"

Taunt's shoulders sagged a little before he quickly thought of something to say, "I am afraid that the buzzers ate all of my shame. Now all that remains is what you see here." He then took a bow and gave Violet a little playful smile as he bounded off. It was obvious that he was showing her that his joke from the previous night was nothing personal and was not unique to her.

Violet just rolled her eyes. _Even if you don't just target me, that joke last night_ hurt _._

"Are you alright, Violet?" Ducky's voice called out all of a sudden as she passed the antiseptic leaves to her, "Taunt just jokes around like that to everyone. I am sure Finder doesn't mind too much."

Finder snorted. "I expect it from him. It will be fun the next time he gets one of these in his hide. He is not the only one who has a bit of a wit."

"I know he isn't trying to be mean," Violet said, "but I don't think Taunt realizes that some of the things he says hurt." _Like last night. Got my mind going crazy last night and nearly cost me a night's sleep._

Ducky nodded as she watched Violet carefully place the sap in the hole where the botfly had been previously. "If you do not mind me asking, Violet, did he say something that upset you recently? He is used to joking with us, and we can be very... um… harsh. But he is not as used to joking with other packs. But since you and your pack have been here a while… he might have felt that you were ready for Taunt being Taunt."

"I'm fine with most of what he jokes about," Violet said, "I've heard enough real insults to handle most jokes. Last night was a bit awkward, though." _Please don't ask for details. Not with this many people around._

Ruby noted her expression and gave Ducky a knowing nod. "Alright, Finder, I think you are ready to go. Just remember that the area will be sore for a few days."

Finder chuckled. "Yeah… I noticed." He then looked at Violet with gratitude. "Thanks again. I think that you are ready to be a healer now. You certainly fixed this problem."

"You're welcome, Finder." Violet was nearly ecstatic at the compliment. Others showing confidence in her really made her feel good.

Ruby and Ducky both smiled at the reaction as Spike walked away from their makeshift 'healing area'. Violet had done very well during her hands-on training today.

"Alright, Violet, now that it is just us now… what did Taunt say?" Ruby asked softly.

"By itself, it wasn't that bad, so I might have to explain a bit." Violet was actually feeling a bit nervous about telling her friends. _What if they laugh at me? Am I overreacting?_

"It is alright." Ducky soothed as she gathered some of their buzzer-digger sticks and examined them for damage, "Go ahead when you are ready."

"Well, I was heading over to my sleeping area when Thud stopped me and wanted to talk. Taunt eventually showed up and joked he was flirting with me." _Just saying it makes me think I'm being ridiculous._

"Ah…" Ruby nodded, "Taunt does that from time to time. There have been more than a few occasions when I was talking to Seeker and Taunt asked us if he was interrupting our 'egg-making time'."

Ducky rolled her eyes. "He also accused me and his Dad of the same thing when we were talking one day. I told him that I was with his dad because he had a more charming attitude than him," she snorted, "He gave me a nod and told me that I won that round. To him it is just a playful joke. He does not mean anything by it."

"I know. It just reminded me of a few things, but I don't think you want to listen to all that," Violet said. _It'll just prove how pathetic I am._

Ducky put the sticks down. "It is alright, Violet; we are here to listen."

Ruby nodded. "We cannot understand you until we hear your story, but maybe if we hear your story then we will understand you."

"Well, it has a bit to do with my parents." _And quite a bit to do with trying not to be too like my mom._ "Did I ever tell you anything about them?" _I honestly can't remember anymore. Healer training is making it hard to remember anything else._

Ruby shook her head. "I do not believe that you did."

"Well, to start with, my parents weren't exactly the same age. Dad had already raised kids once. His mate died early on in that. Assuming nothing has happened to her, I've got a half-sister somewhere. I wish I had a chance to meet her." Violet shook her head. _No, I don't need to let my thoughts go wandering again._

 _Oh dear… I think I can see where this is going,_ Ruby thought as she sent a knowing look to Ducky.

"My mom, well... " _This is going to be a bit awkward._ "She was about your age, Haven, when she and my father became mates." _They're going to think I'm being ridiculous,_ Violet thought. "There a bit of story there, but we'll be here a long time if I told it. It's the only song from home I know that Dodger didn't have to reteach me."

"Go ahead," Ducky encouraged, "There is nothing wrong with a good story."

"Is it alright if I summarize it? My singing isn't that good, and I didn't teach the song to Tracker," Violet said.

"That's fine." Ruby nodded. "But maybe you should teach it to Tracker sometime. She remembers a lot of songs, but she can't remember what she has not been taught."

"Well, my mom left her parents' pack with several others. Apparently disaster runs in the family because they lost most of their members. It would be like going from everyone in this territory to just you two." Violet felt ill at the thought. She could understand why, other than practice, her mother had only sung the song about this in public once.

Both of the other females bowed their heads in respectful silence. Neither of them could imagine how horrible such a loss would be like. In fact only two of their number could.

"That… that is pretty much what happened to Taunt and Breeze's pack when Calin attacked. One moment there were five… then only two," Ducky noted sadly, "He still sings that song every night when the Night Circle disappears at the end of its cycle. Many times Taunt needs help to finish singing it… the pain is still there."

"Well what was left of my mother's pack met my father's when she was about my age. I should probably say 'Prowler's father's' since Prowler's dad was pack leader. He and my dad were best friends, unlike Dodger and Prowler. Sort of like with me and what friendship Dodger and Prowler did have, my mom and her sister made a bit of a mess." _In their case it was by accident._

Ruby tilted her head. "So… Are you saying Prowler had an interest in you?" She was utterly confused by that implication and thought that she was perhaps misunderstanding things, but Violet's mention of a love triangle involving Violet's mother and Violet's aunt was obvious.

"No, no. Ugh, no!" Violet responded, disturbed by the thought. _I really need to work on speaking._ "Prowler's my cousin." _Which is probably worse than what Ponder thought._

Ruby's expression shifted to one of embarrassment. "Sorry, I misunderstood!"

"Don't be. Being related to him is worse," Violet said. _And I_ really _hope he was never interested in me. Yuck. And it's Prowler. Double yuck._

"So um…" Ducky began hesitantly, eager to shift the conversation back to the topic at hand, "What happened with your aunt and mother? How did that work out?"

"Honestly, what happened next was really weird. My dad was the only member of his pack that didn't have a mate at the time, and most of the pack was against adding more unattached members. Apparently there had been a problem with that a long while back. Broke the pack up. Both my mom and my aunt tried pretty hard to get my dad's attention. Neither of them liked to talk about that time."

Ruby rubbed her head. "My former kind sometimes had times like that. My mom and dad were happy together, but my dad told me about families where there was one daddy and many mommies." She shifted into more child-like references to parents, a testament to her discomfort at broaching the subject. "My parents tried to explain to me that if I found a nice fastrunner who had other females that is was alright for me to try to court him provided that the other females were alright with me… but… um… I'm kind of glad it didn't come to that."

Ducky put her hands to her mouth. "Swimmers have enough children with one mommy and daddy! I do not want to think what would happen with many mommies! Oh, no, no, no."

"Well, eventually my mom got intimidated into backing off. My aunt flat out told me that she really messed up what should have been a perfect opportunity. She had a tendency to want to be right about everything. My dad preferred not having a mate to dealing with constant arguments. She warned me not to care so much about winning arguments. I'm not sure how well I learned to pick my fights. My aunt eventually figured out where she messed up and eventually became Prowler's mom, so she got to outrank my mom. I'm probably not describing this well." Violet was many things, but a good storyteller wasn't one of them.

"So… your aunt got to mate with Prowler's dad, and your mom got to get your dad?" Ducky asked, "So in that pack rank followed who you were mated to? What if the pack leader was a female?"

"It was sort of a combination of both ranks. It only really mattered if one of the members was highly ranked. I admit it was weird, and the explanation for why was hard for me to understand. I forgot most of it, but I think the idea was emphasize the ranks of the leaders. I'm probably missing something, so don't take my word for it."

Ruby nodded. "Makes sense, actually. I am the mate of the pack leader, and I get some special treatment on account of that, though my rank is not one of them."

Ducky smirked. "You mean that if Seeker makes a decision that you do not like you can argue with him, right?"

Ruby shrugged and smirked, "It is amazing how accommodating he can be when he realizes that he has to deal with an angry Ponder!"

"Oh no… you hear that, Thud? The females are already plotting against me," came Littlefoot's voice all of a sudden. Though it was obvious they were some distance away. It was only Ruby's loud exclamation that had alerted the two pack leaders.

"So when Taunt insinuated that you and his dad had something going on…" Ducky muttered in a hushed whisper, the implications now clear to everyone.

"Honestly, what bothered me the most was what it made me think about last night when I should've been sleeping. I'm pretty sure that I've got too many problems to be anyone's choice of a mate." Violet looked away, embarrassed at her own admission.

Ruby grasped Violet's hands as she whispered back, "I am sure that you will find a mate if you decide to raise a family one day. Don't doubt yourself, Violet. What you have accomplished over two days took me and Haven a half-cycle of the Night Circle! Just because you have problems that doesn't mean that you aren't special."

That was when Littlefoot finally walked into the healing area.

"Uh… If this is a bad time then we can wait," Littlefoot muttered as he gestured some distance away. Thud, meanwhile, seemed preoccupied with something.

"Please tell me they didn't hear anything," Violet whispered to Ruby. _This is not good._

Ruby smiled. "I don't think that they heard a thing besides my boasting earlier."

The males continued to stand around awkwardly. Unsure about how to react. Technically they outranked the three females, but none of them were partial to pulling rank except when the well-being of their packs required it.

"I think that we are alright." Ducky looked towards Violet for confirmation.

Violet nodded, wanting more than anything to get out of the awkward situation.

Now having confirmation, Littlefoot smiled and gestured towards Violet. "Violet, if you would like to join Thud and I, we need to speak with the rest of your pack about something."

" _If you would like to join…" Why do they always make it sound like I have a choice?_ "Alright." Violet said. "What's going on?"

Littlefoot's smiled dimmed somewhat as he looked towards Thud, "It is nothing terrible, or anything like that… but it is something that I think I am honor-bound to bring to your pack's attention first before talking to my pack about it." He gave Violet an almost pleading look. "It is something that your pack will have to discuss amongst yourselves."

Immediately catching Littlefoot's hidden message, the two females gave Violet a polite nod and a wave. A moment later they had sprinted off, leaving Violet in the presence of Littlefoot and Thud.

 _Oh crap,_ Violet thought once she was alone with the pack leaders. "Okay. You're sure I'm not in trouble?" _I hope Thud didn't hear anything from earlier._

"You're not in any trouble, Violet," both males spoke simultaneously, as if out of habit. Quickly realizing how awkward that was, Littlefoot spoke next, "In fact I think you are doing quite well, as is your pack. That is part of what we need to discuss."

Littlefoot cleared his throat as the trio began to walk towards Dodger's makeshift sleeping area, "Thud's pack is going to be leaving in a few days, and this provides your pack with a good opportunity."

"Okay… I'm not quite sure how this involves me. I'm not exactly qualified to be making decisions." _I have neither the rank nor common sense,_ Violet mentally added.

Littlefoot nodded. "It is true that your pack will need to decide as a group, but there is also a decision that you will need to make as well…" Littlefoot hesitated. "Thud's pack would give your pack the reinforcement it would need to find and claim a new territory... provided that every member of your pack wishes to stay in it… and that your pack would not prefer to join another… such as Thud's."

"Okay. Okay," Violet said, trying not to panic. _I don't know the answer to any of that, even for just me._

Thud frowned a little at Violet's obvious panic and gave her an encouraging nudge. "Don't be afraid, Violet. This is not something that you or anyone else has to do, or decide, alone."

Littlefoot nodded. "My pack is too large to take in three more permanently, but that doesn't mean that we can't still use some allies. The important thing is that all of you get the best start to whatever new future you make for yourselves. That is what we will need to discuss with all of you."

Violet fought the urge to ask if there was room for just _one_ more, fearing it would suggest that was definitely what she wanted. _I just want to know what all my options are, but it feels like every question I can think of would suggest my giving an answer._

As the three dinosaurs approached the rest of Dodger's pack, only their muted footsteps could be heard against the wind. All of them knew that whatever decision was made in the next few moments would have long-lasting impacts on them all.

* * *

 **The present:**

"Alright, you so-called fastrunners! Let's see if you are now worthy of being our guests!"

 _Somehow I can't see this really happening unless everyone was really bad at surviving,_ Mender thought as she watched the chase start to unfold.

Cynnil and Buse carefully approached the trio of fastrunners before nodding at one another and seemingly disappearing into the grass. It took a moment for the fastrunners to catch sight of their chasers again and to resume their wait in running off.

Mender shook her head in exasperation. _Even you aren't going to be able to find a good hiding spot out here, Cynnil. I hope you aren't planning on taking them entirely by surprise._

"You know that we can still see you!" Arial boasted as the two males rolled their eyes. It was easy for her to be boastful as she had only been 'eaten' in this game four times. One more victory and she would be the first to get the day's dinner.

"They are trying to make it harder for us to know exactly when to run…" Orchid muttered as if in a trance. The green grass was swaying in time with the rocking back and forth of the two hidden runners. It was almost mesmerizing in a terrifying sort of way.

Cynnil took a single step forward as she bobbed her head at her companion. Buse stood still, placing more weight on his right leg.

 _Well, this should be fun to watch,_ Mender thought, noting Buse's rather unsubtle shift, _Cynnil, why can't you ever keep things simple_?

As if sensing what was about to transpire, Nahoda took flight first. Orchid and Arial, on the other hand, gave one another a glance. It seemed the siblings were daring each other to be the next to flee. After all, whoever was the last to make it to the stream was the winner of the round.

Assuming they were not 'eaten' first.

 _If they wait much longer they might not get away at all,_ Mender thought.

As if on cue, the chaos began with with a hidden runner barrelling towards Arial with tremendous speed as both of the fastrunners immediately took off towards the stream.. As Cynnil ran to her target, however, a most curious obstacle entered into her path.

Buse.

Mender watched in horror as Buse turned towards Arial, directly intersecting his pack leader's course. It was only her quick thinking and strong legs that avoided Mender needing to perform her services.

 _Wow, I thought that was gonna be messy,_ Mender thought, sighing in relief. Judging by Buse's sudden freeze he'd been just as surprised by the near collision.

Without missing a beat, and not apparently caring that Arial was now running freely to the stream, Cynnil landed right behind Orchid, causing a resounding thud to be heard throughout the clearing. His panicked grunt all but confirmed Arial's victory.

"Ha! I will see you at dinner, boys!" Her playful taunt carried in the wind to her male competitors.

But also to a certain fastbiter.

 _You know, Arial, you're reminding me of a certain well-named fastbiter right now,_ Mender thought as she stood up, _Unlike you, he also understood the point of running._

Arial's taunt soon turned into surprise as the violet blur suddenly appeared in the distance. She quickly redoubled her efforts to get away, but it was no use.

Mender was not holding back this time.

Arial struggled to gain speed as the stream began to edge closer in her vision. She did not focus on Nahoda mock cheering from the water or on how much her legs burned. Her only focus now was on escaping Mender's wrath. In a last ditch effort to escape her predator she edged to the right, hoping to outmaneuver her foe. She did not see the danger ahead.

 _Whoa!_ Mender slid to a stop, nearly losing her balance in the process. "Arial, look out!" she called out in warning.

Arial did not appear to hear as she barrelled into the uneven terrain. Within moment the inevitable happened. Mender could only look away as her friend and patient came tumbling to the ground.

"Urgh… you know that you should really watch where you're going, sis."

"Are you alright?" Mender asked worriedly as she rushed over to where Arial and Orchid lay in a tangled heap. Nearby, Cynnil was staring at the scene with an odd mixture of surprise and amusement.

It only took a moment for Nahoda to arrive on scene as well. "Dear!"

Arial groaned as she slowly lifted herself off of her brother. Shame radiating on her features. "I guess that is what I get for boasting. Are you alright?"

For his part Orchid rose to his feet with a shrug. "I feel pretty good for someone who has been eaten." He watched as his sister and Nahoda gave each other a nod that communicated that she was alright. It was only then that he noticed the look that Cynnil was giving her two packmates. "Um…"

Mender looked back at Cynnil almost defiantly. For once she really didn't care about messing up. _It's not my fault you make your plans too complicated._

Cynnil cleared her throat. "Okay pack, let's run down everything that we did wrong."

"I went after the wrong fastrunner... I misread the sign," Buse said immediately.

Cynnil nodded as the fastrunners looked on in shock. They had never seen the pack behave in this way before. "Yes. You misread my sign. But I could have made it more clearly. That was _my_ mistake."

 _I was wondering what went wrong there,_ Mender thought, now much calmer than a few moments ago, _I'm not sorry I chased Arial; I should have cut her off and driven her away from Orchid and Cynnil, though._

"I shouldn't have stood and taunted everyone."

Cynnil turned and stared at Arial who volunteered her own faults as if she were one of the pack. Buse looked at her with surprise, whereas Nahoda spoke after a moment's hesitation.

"I… um… would have lost if everyone else wouldn't have screwed up… so I guess I need to not panic in this game…"

He stepped back almost as soon as he had spoken his words. In the awkward silence that followed two non-pack members interrupting the pack's debriefing, only two dinosaurs had remained silent. A visibly conflicted Orchid and a still surprised Mender.

Noticing Orchid's expression, Mender decided to shift the group's focus to herself. "I didn't cut off Arial and force her away from everyone else," she said, still not seeing any real problem with her intervention, only its effectiveness.

Cynnil stared at Mender a moment, leading to a staring contest of sorts. Buse noted this but for once remained silent. If Cynnil and Mender had a disagreement then he wanted to be no part of it.

"I should have been paying more attention. That is the entire reason you took over the game, wasn't it?"

Cynnil's stare turned away from Mender reluctantly as Orchid finally spoke his peace. Silence, already pervasive during the last few moments, appeared to envelope everyone like a dense layer of fog. It took a few moments for anyone to speak.

"You are more perceptive than you let on, Orchid," Cynnil spoke with the slightest hint of praise, "However you are also very transparent when something is on your mind."

Arial looked at her brother with concern, whereas Nahoda and Buse looked surprised by this revelation.

 _I guess Orchid is a bit like me. We don't hide stuff very well,_ Mender thought, _It looks like Buse and Nahoda aren't doing a very good job of not acting surprised. At least I'm not the only one surprised Orchid said anything._

Cynnil did not miss a beat as she looked at the three fastrunners. "None of you are pack, but yet you answered as if you were." She paused as the fastrunners noticeably stiffened. "Don't worry, I approve. As long as you are our guests on this journey you will be welcomed as our allies."

The fastrunners relaxed at this assurance that they had not broken a taboo… with the curious exception of Orchid.

 _I would have thought he would've been glad to hear that,_ Mender noted, seeing that Orchid was still tense.

"After that, of course, we each will have to follow our own paths. Though I hope that all of our paths are happy ones," Cynnil finished with her gaze curiously remaining fixed upon Orchid for an extended moment, "There are far worse starting points than Seeker's pack."

 _Here we go again._ Mender smiled a bit at the idea of seeing her friends again. "That's where I got started, in more ways than one," she said. _My life_ really _changed after meeting them._

Cynnil appeared oddly satisfied at Mender's words and quickly ushered everyone away. "Well, that is enough training for one day. I think that all of you are nearly ready for the journey. Just one more day…"

Arial and Nahoda's eyes opened wide. "Does that mean…"

Cynnil laughed. "Yes, Nahoda, I do believe it is dinner time."

Buse and the pack leader laughed as Nahoda jumped up as if victorious in some battle. His levity only lasted a moment, however, before Arial's well-placed nudge sent him back to earth both figuratively and literally. Within moments the entire group was on their way to the promised feast of scaly swimmers and snapping shells.

 _How exactly did I not catch a fastrunner that clumsy,_ Mender thought with a laugh as she turned to follow Nahoda and the others. She stopped when she felt a gentle nudge.

"Um… Mender?" Orchid's voice barely registered as a whisper. "How does someone join a pack?"

It was then that everything snapped together in Mender's mind. Cynnil noticing Orchid's odd behavior in the training game… Cynnil taking over and intentionally focusing on catching Orchid… the use of a pack meeting in front of the fastrunners… and Cynnil only stopping when Mender had mentioned joining Seeker's pack… she knew that Orchid was thinking about joining the entire time. She just gave him several nudges in the right direction.

 _How does she do that?_

"Well, Orchid, first you have to prove yourself to whatever pack you want to join," Mender answered carefully, her gaze turning towards the now somewhat concerned fastrunner.

"And… how do I do that?"

His sudden use of the pronoun 'I' was not lost on Mender. It had been obvious from the beginning that this was not a matter of mere curiosity. As she turned her gaze again to what was in front of her she could see Cynnil briefly look back, the hidden runner equivalent of a knowing smirk on her face.

"I do believe that is what we are about to find out…"

* * *

 **The past:**

Littlefoot approached Tracker and Dodger's designated living area with some hesitation as Violet and Thud walked a respectful distance behind. Finally, however, he was within visual distance of the two dinosaurs. Waiting to make sure that he was not interrupting anything important he lowered his head slightly to show the proper respect when entering another fastbiter's sleeping area and waited for any response from the duo.

 _Okay, this is abnormal,_ Dodger thought, _Why are both Seeker and Thud here?_ He tried not to think about why Violet was brought along. The look on his sister's face wasn't doing anything to reassure him.

Tracker noticed the newcomers in the exact opposite order as her mate. _Please, Violet, don't be in trouble again. Having two pack leaders bringing you along anywhere is probably not a good sign._

Getting over his surprise, Dodger gestured for the trio to approach. He couldn't stop himself from giving his sister a questioning look. Violet's rush to get to Tracker's side turned it to one of alarm.

"I hope that we are not interrupting anything," Seeker offered politely, "But if all of you had the time, there is something that I wanted to talk to you about before I talk to the others."

"All of us?" Dodger asked, trying to make sure he heard right. Behind him Tracker turned back around, having been in the process of removing both herself and Violet from the discussion.

Littlefoot nodded as he gestured for Thud to join him as both fastbiters sat down beside the small scrape that served as Dodger and Tracker's 'residence', "This is something for a pack leader to decide, of course, but I thought that you would want this to be discussed between all of you. Because… um…" Littlefoot hesitated for a moment, "This will be more than a mere pack decision."

Thud remained silent as Littlefoot clarified the situation as a 'delicate matter' while not yet elaborating on what he had in mind. For his part, Thud kept his face neutral despite any feelings he might have over this matter.

 _Okay, so why are you talking to_ all of us _?_ Tracker wondered, _If this is a problem, wouldn't it make more sense to keep it between pack leaders? I know Dodger will want to know what Violet and I think, but we're not the ones that he's going to blame for a bad decision. He'll blame himself. Seeker's pack has a very strange way of doing things. You don't just tell everything to everyone._ She wasn't about to say anything out loud. That could cause a bigger problem.

Seeker hesitated a moment before he continued, "Despite our unpleasant initial meeting, it has been a pleasure having all of you in our territory. Not only have you learned things from us, but I know that we have learned from you. I am sure that in the years to come each of our respective packs will sing some of the other's songs. A remembrance of when we were together…"

 _And here comes what I was expecting since we met,_ Dodger thought, _Hopefully we'll get out of here without any awkwardness. I'm pretty sure they didn't want us to know about the Orange Death._

"However, when the barren times come it may become difficult to find food for so many of us, and my duties are first and foremost to my pack. I would hate for us to part when the times are rough as that would put all of you at a disadvantage. I also would hate to send you all away without the absolute best new start. It is for that reason that I would like to make you a proposal." Littlefoot finished, waiting for the response from Dodger. The brown fastbiter's head was bowed slightly as if in apology.

"And that would be…" Dodger prompted. Quite frankly, he'd expected to be simply asked to leave and figure things out on his own.

Thud nodded at Littlefoot as he began his proposal. "I have a pack of three, but we are quite experienced in navigating the Barrens. It would be my pleasure for you two." He gestured at Dodger and Tracker. "...and Violet if she wishes, to follow my pack through the barrens. There is some lush land near the Land of Many Waters that could be claimed with a sufficiently strong challenge. And that way all of you would be close enough to your allies to help them if the need should arise, or to be helped by them if you are in trouble. It would give you a good start."

Thud then coughed awkwardly. "If the pack wishes to remain as it is now then that is what my pack can do for you."

Littlefoot froze. He had not expected Thud to be open to the potential of Dodger and Tracker actually joining his pack on a permanent basis, but his careful statement was obvious, if indirect, indication of that intent. Now he felt terrible about not merely addressing Dodger alone. _Some forewarning would have been nice, Thud..._

Tracker shot a pleading look at Littlefoot. _Give me a way to get Violet out of here. If she figures this out she's going to interpret it as an insult._

Thud picked up on the look to his counterpart and quickly looked at Littlefoot, which made the brown fastbiter speak up, "If you would rather we discuss this with you first, Dodger, then perhaps the others can give us some space for a moment?"

Dodger gave his mate a barely perceptible nod.

"Come on, Violet," Tracker said.

"Where are we going?" Violet asked, following Tracker as her friend had expected her to.

"Anywhere. Some of what they're talking about it isn't for us to hear."

"Okay... " Violet wasn't quite sure what to say to that. "So, can we go talk to Haven and Breeze? I was talking to them earlier, and, well, I think you might want to hear this too."

"Lead the way." Tracker was certain Violet could get both of them at least in hearing distance of their friends. Discernible paths were a lifesaver for a nearly smell-blind fastbiter.

Thud remained silent but put on an apologetic expression as he suddenly realized the unintentional faux pas he had committed. He should have let Littlefoot know about his offer prior to suggesting it. But then again, it wasn't really until the heat of the moment that he realized that it was something he was willing to suggest.

"Violet's a bit oversensitive about potential insults," Dodger said, gesturing in the direction of his sister's departure. _Please, don't say 'why', Seeker. Who knows how Thud would react to that?_

Thud spoke in a soft voice, "I did not mean for it to be an insult, Dodger. I rather think that you would make a fine addition to my pack, as it can be hard to maintain a pack with only _two_ or three members."

"I didn't take it as one. Violet's just... " Dodger really didn't know how to explain his sister's probable behavior without explaining her potentially offer-rescinding and easy to ridicule disability.

"She has a hard time reading intent sometimes," Littlefoot offered.

Thud nodded. "I should have realized as much before I made the offer. A lot of intent can be read through scent, and that would be hard for her. I'm just glad she had the chance that my unfortunate brother never had."

Littlefoot froze. "...What?"

Dodger felt as though his mind had frozen like a stream during a Cold Time. He'd already tensed up was more than prepared for a verbal or even a physical fight when Thud's last sentence mentally tripped him. It took quite a bit of effort for him to completely calm himself. _Even when you're not here, Violet, you're_ still _causing an overreaction. She'll probably find this hilarious._

"I… noticed her disability when she was practicing her healing and I had a conversation with her about it last night. My brother had the same disability as a hatchling, but I never had a chance to know him. My father… did the usual thing when he found out he was smell-blind." Thud smiled lightly. "I am pleased to see that Violet is doing well. With a strong pack, and her new skills, she will do very well. Avoiding the harshness of the Time of Pack Finding probably saved her."

Littlefoot's mouth was agape. He was utterly blindsided by this.

"You obviously love your sister very much," Thud offered, "Though I wonder what she will choose to do now. She has truly has followed a unique path in life and I doubt her future will be any less unique."

"She definitely is unique," Dodger replied calmly. _That conversation you mentioned had better have just been a conversation. Violet can be a bit too influenceable at times._

Littlefoot rubbed his head feathers for a moment. "Thud, you didn't…"

Thud shook his head. "We only talked about her past. I was just amazed that one with such a disability could live through youth. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for her. She was ready to bolt before I made my intentions clear. I guess she had trouble detecting intentions in the dark… if I had realized that then I would have talked to her after the Bright Circle rose." Thud looked at Dodger apologetically. "I… I wasn't sure about all of this until today. So I would not have been able to convince her of anything anyway… but I would not have gone over your head in any case, Dodger. My honor would not stand for that."

"I'm glad to hear that. I have to ask, though, what about her past were you talking about?" Dodger asked. _This could be quite awkward depending on what they were talking about._

"She…" Thud hesitated. "You are her pack leader so I guess I can talk about such things. She talked about her past and about how you protected her when the others would mock her. She also talked a little about her parents…"

Dodger did his best to hide his alarm. For reasons he couldn't completely explain, Violet had always been sensitive about their parents, especially if she were feeling insecure when a conversation about them occurred. _This could get really uncomfortable really quickly._

"She… um… mentioned that there was a bit of competition between her father, her mother, and an aunt, but eventually her father chose her mother and the aunt chose Prowler's father. Which is why having an unequal number of males and females in a pack is awkward. Someone either had to go without and then you get fights, or else you have a male or female who 'doubles up'," Technically he had not discussed that with her, but he had accidently overheard it from her discussion with the girls as he was walking to accept Seeker's summons, but Dodger didn't need to know that. "Then she told me a little about Prowler. Not much of it good, I must admit."

 _Violet never mentioned this… We're going to have to talk._ "Prowler was… not exactly the easiest to get along with," Dodger replied, "Having him as a cousin isn't exactly something I'm proud of." _At least he didn't mention my parents', or Prowler's parents', age difference._ It didn't bother him at all, but Dodger knew that his sister would be mortified if that were common knowledge.

Thud nodded. "To pick a fight with the goal of pummeling a packmate is a very dishonorable thing to do. He seemed like an undesirable pack leader…" he shook his head. "The only other thing that we talked about, really, was about my son's 'unique' sense of humor. I had to explain that my son's joke was not meant to be taken in the way that Violet took it, and that the two of them had more in common than they might have assumed."

"What was the joke?" Dodger was actually starting to get a bit worried. If Taunt had overheard any of Violet and Thud's conversation and used it in a joke, Violet probably wouldn't have reacted well.

Thud rolled his eyes. "One of Taunt's more common jabs. He suggested that the reason I was talking to Violet was because I was flirting with her. It is that kind of wit that has gotten him chased on more than one occasion." He shook his head. "But he only jokes like that to people he feels comfortable with. So that is his way of saying that Violet is like family now."

"He just had to say that, didn't he?" Dodger muttered. He shook his head. "I'm glad Taunt feels that way, but it might be best if he doesn't make that joke again." _Not that she shouts it to the world, but that's hitting way too close to home for Violet._

Thud nodded. "I mentioned as much to him. It is best to save such jokes for packmates."

 _Do I have to be blunt to be understood?_ "I think it's that particular joke that might be a problem, not jokes in general," Dodger said.

Thud noddedagain. "Understood." He was tempted to ask why that was but decided that it was obvious that Dodger didn't want to elaborate on that point. That was when part of the overheard conversation replayed in his mind. _Oh...Oh._ "I will make sure that he realizes that joke is off-limits." The look of sudden realization appeared on his face.

Littlefoot shifted uncomfortably. The conversation had gone from awkward, to uncomfortable, to being absolutely hard to follow. It seemed like Thud had more information at this point than he did. "Forgive me for asking, and refuse to answer if it is none of my concern, but why does that joke offend her so much? I want to make sure that I don't accidentally say something that is taken the wrong way by her."

 _Great…_ Dodger groaned. "Thud, do you want to help explain or would you rather just ignore what I say for a few moments? I don't want to anything I say to be taken insultingly."

Thud waved his hand. "I will not be insulted, Dodger. Feel free to speak freely."

"Okay, so how to put this really simply…" Dodger paused to consider what to say without taking all day to do it. He sighed in frustration. "My mother was about Violet's age when she met my father and Haven's age when she became his mate. My father saw his daughter from a previous mate leave the pack between those two times." _Why can I never say this directly?_

Littlefoot nodded. Longnecks often had significant age differences, but to have one that young mate with an older individual would have been an oddity. "I… I can see why Violet might be a bit sensitive about that…"

Thud rubbed his head. "Oh, Taunt, you always seem to cause conversations wherever you go… I will make sure that particular joke is off-limits from now on."

"Thanks," Dodger said. _No offense, Thud, but Violet doesn't want anyone to think she is that desperate. If she gets to the point she doesn't care she either likes you too much for me to say 'no' or her self-esteem is too low for me to say 'yes'._

Littlefoot shook his head and tried to desperately get the conversation back on solid ground that wouldn't lead to Taunt being subject to more threats of violence than usual. "Well… I wish you the best, Dodger, regardless of how you decide." It was a subtle reminder of the subject at hand: would Dodger join Thud's pack or merely follow his pack into a new territory? And what would become of Violet? Littlefoot had no idea what Violet was thinking at that moment.

"I'll need to talk to my packmates about it." _Would they be comfortable with joining Thud's pack?_ Dodger mentally translated his own words. "How soon do you need an answer?"

Thud looked at Littlefoot for a moment. "I am planning on leaving for my pack's usual migration to follow the food in a few days. So I will need your answer by then." He shifted awkwardly. "It would just be a bit awkward for you to come along and not to realize how to properly address you," Thud admitted bluntly.

"Um, how many ways can you address someone?" Dodger asked. _There's more than two?_

Thud shifted awkwardly. "The ways that do not involve words. I would need to know whether to address you as a guest and co-equal, or as a follower. That would also affect what we would expect from each other."

Dodger nodded his understanding. _As long as no one insults Violet I'm fine with anything._ Tracker, he knew, was a bit better at ignoring insults and, if necessary, responding quite pointedly in a way that was hard to describe as an insult and thus in need of less intervention.

Littlefoot paused for several moments and contemplated Dodger's expression. His face was serene, if that were even possible, which made the brown fastbiter grow somewhat concerned. Ever since Ruby had pointed out how much Dodger had looked up to him, Littlefoot had been more careful to keep that in mind. He now realized that Dodger felt more like a leader-in-training that a leader in his own right.

"Well, we will let you have some time to talk to your sister and your mate," Littlefoot offered softly as he leaned in slightly, "...and if you want to talk about any of this, Dodger, feel free to stop by my sleeping place at any time. Feel invited."

"Thank you, sir," Dodger replied, "I wonder where they got off to."

Thud noted the other fastbiter's formality. It would be welcomed in some of the larger packs, but not necessary in the smaller, more intimate ones. The idea that Dodger had grown accustomed to using such formality in a pack of four really communicated something to the elder fastbiter. _Prowler must have been a real bastard to elicit that kind of response. It is not necessary with Seeker._

Seeker, for his part, simply nodded. He felt suddenly alienated by Dodger's formality. "When we talk in private, Dodger, feel free to call me by my name. And…" He looked up at Thud and received a nod. "When not in front of the others you can speak freely to Thud as well. Neither of us are Prowler."

"Understood, sir… Seeker. Ugh." Dodger slapped a hand over his eyes. _I'd like to explain to him that I say it out of respect. I never used that term with Prowler. Ever._

Littlefoot smiled. "It can be awkward when addressing someone who is a friend and also of higher rank, but you and I are of the same rank, Dodger. For as long as you are here you are a guest. I just regret that now is the best time for you to leave, before the food becomes scarce."

"There's a time when food _isn't_ scarce?" Dodger asked, nearly struck dumb. _In case you haven't noticed I'm barely larger than Leap, Violet's smaller than Leap, and Tracker can be mistaken for someone a year younger than she is. I'm starting to envy you._

Littlefoot shrugged. "It can get much scarcer. Especially during the Barren Times. Some packs follow the food during that time, but we prefer to keep the territory that we have. It is a lot easier than reclaiming territory."

"Never held territory before, sir, so I wouldn't know about that," Dodger replied.

Littlefoot nodded. "Such is the case with small packs. Smaller packs often have to follow the food and avoid competitors. That is why larger packs often form." He left that statement hanging out there as he did not want to encourage Dodger one way or another. This was his choice. "I think we will leave you now, Dodger; do not hesitate to talk to us if you have any questions."

"Understood, sir. Now I've got to figure out where Tracker and Violet went. Should've asked where they were going... "

Littlefoot sighed slightly as Thud smiled with amusement. _I guess old habits die hard._

* * *

 **The present:**

"Ah, yes… here he comes now."

Littlefoot watched as the elder flyer slowly began his descent to the ground below. It had been quite awhile since Petrie's uncle took his turn as messenger. Though part of this undoubtedly had to do with allowing the younger flyers to gain more experience with such duties, Littlefoot suspected that Pterano's age might also have played a role.

As soon as the flyer landed he began the customary greeting.

"Good evening, Seeker. My apologies for my tardiness, I…"

Littlefoot waved his hand. "No one can fault you for visiting your family, Pterano. I am amazed the little ones allowed you to fly away."

Pterano laughed at this. "I think that without Soar's help I would have remained pinned to the tree. But it looks like that they have some kind of job that they are doing."

Littlefoot turned to the children in the distance. As Pterano had reported the kids were swiftly gathering sticks and bones from Lookout Hill. Even the little flyers were picking up such debris as their small forms would allow. It was very reminiscent of another ritual in their old home.

"Ah, this is something that should look familiar, Pterano. Remember how the younglings would pick up sticks before the Great Bright Circle Celebration?"

The flyer rolled his eyes. "I was not under the impression that you believed in the Bright Circle Story. Or have you decided to adopt some of the flyer ways?"

"We don't. But just like how that celebration gives the adults an excuse to put the younglings to work, so does the arrival of a new guest." Littlefoot gestured at his mate in the distance. "Mender and my mate's siblings will soon be arriving so we are having the kids make the place more presentable."

Pterano was silent for several moments as he considered this. "You know, Seeker, when the kids clean the valley for the Bright Circle they at least get a feast for it."

"Oh they will get a feast alright. But they do need to learn a bit of discipline. They acted like heroes in the two-footer crisis but still act like ankle-biters at the nest." Littlefoot did his best impression of Pterano, puffing his chest outward and his clawed hand to the sky. "Now that they have learned strength and virtue, they must learn to maintain it."

The elder flyer groaned, obviously not impressed with Littlefoot's attempt to match his theatrics. "Before I begin my report, are there any messages that you would like me to give to the valley?"

It was then that Littlefoot did something most surprising in front of the flyer. With slow steps Littlefoot walked back to his sleeping area and secured an odd-shaped chunk of bark in his mouth and a spear in his hand. Then, with a loud 'thunk' he dropped the wood on the ground and placed the spear into a small hole that appeared to have been gnawed into the bark. It took several moments of rubbing the stick in the hole before Pterano finally couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"What in the name of sanity are you doing?"

With that Littlefoot dropped the spear and kicked the chunk of wood out of the way. "That… is what I was hoping you would tell us. This is one of the 'rainbowface games' that my son and daughter have been playing. I take it that it is not all the rage in the valley?"

Now it was Pterano's turn to be exasperated as he rubbed his crest. "You realize that this puts me in a tough position, don't you?"

"Well you could just share this with the rainbowfaces…" Littlefoot suggested.

"That isn't the problem, my sickle-clawed friend. Whatever _that_ is obviously is not a game, which means it's something the rainbowfaces wanted to keep to themselves. And since you already know about whatever it is…"

"You have to tell the valley to keep the balance," Littlefoot finished.

Pterano raised his wings in a placative gesture. "It is nothing personal, Seeker, it's…"

Littlefoot waved his hand. "It is nothing. The world has changed; I had a long neck and feasted upon green food. I just would like you to consider one thing: perhaps what we saw was not enough to cause problems."

Pterano thought about this for a moment. "Which means that it would not cause any problems."

"Exactly," Seeker affirmed, "Before we get ahead of ourselves and try to find out what the rainbowfaces may have accidently taught us, it might be best for you to send a message from me to the rainbowfaces. If this is something minor then… perhaps… we can keep this quiet."

"You do realize you just got Axiom and Datum grounded, don't you?" Pterano asked with some amusement.

"Almost as grounded as being forced to pick up sticks for three days, hmmm? Sometimes the best punishments are those done covertly."

Pterano stared at the brown fastbiter. "And to think Topps calls me manipulative… alright, Seeker, what message would you like me to send to Logos and Chronos?"

Littlefoot nodded with a smirk and cleared his throat. "Please say exactly what I am about to say…"

* * *

 **Hidden Runner Territory:**

"Stay on my back, children. We don't want to spook Ovie."

Staza walked beside her mate as the little bundles of trouble jumped on her back playfully. It was times like this she was grateful that nature had endowed her kind with thicker skin on her back. Otherwise their little claws would have been quite the problem.

"Um… how close should we get, dear? I don't know how fastrunners are during their Time of Eggs." Staza lightly nipped at one of her children who got to close to her neck. "I know we would be running right now if she were a fastbiter mother."

"Or dead," Verant muttered to himself, "Are we too close, Ovie?"

Both fastbiters stopped as a pink head appeared over a clump of dense vegetation. It was only then that the two could note the exhaustion on her young face. It brought back memories from Tracker's own day of laying.

"You can approach," a weak, hoarse voice called out.

Verant cast a concerned glance at his mate before approaching. Ovie was obviously exhausted.

Staza noted his expression and nodded. Her concern was growing. Already Ovie was a female without a male, but what trouble could have possibly further complicated things? Had she lost an egg? Did something go wrong?

It was with some hesitation that she allowed herself to move closer.

That was when they saw the sight. Before them lay an obviously tired fastrunner with eight ivory-colored orbs beside her. The eight eggs were a clear sign of what had exhausted her.

"I no longer have Brakas, but at least his family lives on," Ovie whispered, "I guess he got his wish for a large family…"

Out of respect for the young mother's most intimate territory Tracker quickly lowered herself to the ground, her claws covered under her body. Her children, unsure of what to do, repeated their mother's gesture while sitting on her back.

"Well, you'll be safe here," Verant promised, not entirely sure what to do with himself at that point.

Ovie sighed as she again placed herself over her numerous eggs. "You don't have to humble yourself, Staza. Both of you have helped me during this difficult time, and if you wanted to eat me then you would have already done so." She snorted as she looked at the kids on Tracker's back. "I only hope my little ones are as well-behaved."

Staza bowed her head. "You honor us by allowing us near your nest. This is something that our kind would only allow family."

"I didn't even let Mender's packmates near when she visited," Verant added.

Ovie smiled. "You are family. Only family would have done what you have done. I think even Brakas would have approved of you."

"I wish I could have met him," Verant said.

Staza, meanwhile was more focused on the present. "Are you feeling alright? Fate has given you many eggs. Almost too many to lay safely."

Ovie chuckled. "And you were fine laying seven?"

Staza returned the laughter. "You do have a point there."

Verant shook his head in amusement.

"I will be alright. I just need some time to rest. And I can do that easier since I know that I have extra pairs of eyes helping me." The fastrunner smiled at her friends. "Speaking of which… I think I am not the only one needing rest."

Verant turned and saw that one of the children was about to fall off of Tracker's back, half-asleep. "Whoa, there, Ungu. It's not quite time to sleep yet," he said, nudging his daughter back onto Staza's back.

This made both Staza and Ovie laugh. It was Ovie who spoke first, however. "I will be alright, friends. Let your daughter have her nap." Her words were interrupted by a yawn. "You never know when you can have that luxury."

"Get some rest, Ovie," Verant said as he turned to leave, "You're going to need it when those eggs hatch."

Staza smiled as she bowed respectfully. "Sleep well, Ovie."

As the two fastbiters extricated themselves from the hidden nest they shared a look at one another as some of the children, free of Verant's instructions now that they were outside of the nest, began to jump from one parent's back to the other.

"Well she should sleep better than either of us has in seasons." Staza deadpanned.

"She better make the most of it. I still don't think I've slept a full night since our kids hatched."

Staza nudged him playfully. "When did you ever sleep a full night, dear? You always seem to find threats even where ones don't exist."

It was then that Verant heard the fluttering of leaves in the distance. Almost as if someone had walked into a bush.

"Speaking of threats..." he muttered turning towards the sound, "Eh, it's probably nothing."

Staza laughed as she gave her mate a playful nudge. "Come along, dear. I think it is time for some little ones to get to sleep."

"Aw, Mom! We're not… yawn…"

Staza rolled her eyes. "Exactly. Off we go, little ones!"

* * *

"They seem quite preoccupied with the fastrunner. Maybe we should attack her to flush them…"

The hidden runner sighed. Sometimes his deputy had great ideas, but tonight was not one of those times.

"No. She is of no consequence, and the fastbiters are secondary. We will use her to make a distraction for the sharpteeth while your group goes for the kill. Remember that we only need to kill the pack leader and his deputy. The rest should capitulate after that."

"And what about the fastbiters?"

He couldn't help but laugh in exasperation at this point.

"What about them? They will flee once their benefactors have fallen. Tell your group to gather their sticks. We attack tonight."

As his deputy finally ran to gather his forces he couldn't help but shake his head.

"Silly Alphus. What harm could two mere fastbiters do to a force like ours?"

* * *

 **Sorry for the delay, everyone. Between the holidays and other obligations this one took a bit longer than usual. I hope to have the next chapter out in a more timely manner. I would like to give special thanks to both my co-author, Historian1912, for his outstanding contributions as always and to Nimbus for his healp in proof-reading this week's offering.  
**

 **bryan mccloud:** Indeed Ruby is in for a bit of an interesting reunion with her siblings. I wonder if Nahoda will have to withstand yet another 'talk' from one of Arial's loved ones. XD As for Chomper... oh yeah... it will be fascinating to see how Nahoda reacts to having him in the same territory.

 **DevoutRelic:** Looks like you got your wish with the Eighth Hunter. As for the subsequent chapters they are going to be piecing together the threads of plot that have been laid out thus far. The fastrunner/Seeker/rainbowfaces/ and hidden runner plotlines are now beginning to intersect... and it will be interesting to see how our favorite characters handle these upcoming struggles.

 **gordhanx:** Yeah, Spotter basically could have come in and said. "Hey, guys! Here is what happened during the last 4 chapters..." and it would have had the same effect. XD With regards to Mender's growing confidence as a healer, it seems that I can't give the poor girl a break. Bow that she is growing more confident with her abilities she will soon have to make some major life decisions... I am sure everyone can guess what she eventually chose (based upon the present story) but how she gets there and where it leads to is quite the tale. As the present story grows in prominence we will begin to see how the Violet of the past grew into the Mender of the present.

 **Keijo6:** I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the elaboration on the pack dynamics. Part of the appeal of Dodger's pack is that it had a different genesis and arrangement than Littlefoot's pack. In fact it is more akin to what Littlefoot's pack would have looked like without further guidance and training. We are now beginning to see them come to terms with the new reality, and begin to learn more about how to be a stable pack. And, along the way, Seeker's pack is learning its fair share as well. I am also very pleased to hear that the fastrunner side of the story has begun to grow in interest. This aspect has had a slow build (in part to allow the past story to get going) but it and the other present day plot points will begin to go center stage. Though, as we shall see, Mender will take lessons from her past to deal with the struggles of the future. The only question now is: what will those struggles be?

 **Thanks again for the reviews, everyone! I look forward to your feedback, and I hope to have the next chapter up in a somewhat timely manner.**


	17. Chapter 15: Challenges

**-v-**

 **Chapter 15: Challenges**

" **The challenges in the cadet program are not meant are not meant to find the worthy; they are meant to help the worth find themselves."**

 **Cadet training manual,**

 **Annex B**

* * *

 **Several years ago:**

"I'm confused… how did you know that they were talking about pack leader stuff? Thud just asked about our pack following his, and I already knew about that." Violet ran the conversation in her head, but just couldn't make sense of it. What did she miss? Was it a smell thing?

 _You're problematically perceptive, Violet_ , Tracker thought with a mixture of frustration and pride, _You used to be so easy to distract._ "Do you really want to know or are you just bored?" _Here goes my last strategy before I_ have _to tell her._

Violet looked down for a moment. _I have learned how to heal people.. why can't I learn this?_ She had been accustomed to being treated in a protected way during her life, but now that she had a taste of responsibility she felt more than a tinge of guilt. It had only been days ago that she had made her first kill and obtained the title of 'adult'; now she was more than a little self-conscious about not acting like an adult.

"I… really want to know," Violet began in an almost sad voice, "I'm an adult now and I need to start acting like it. I need to stop being so ignorant!" there was a tinge of anger in that last sentence. Anger at her own inability to smell what others could smell and understand what others could understand. She could smell a hint of her own anger even with her reduced sense of smell. The slightest hint of what Tracker must have smelled in that moment.

"Violet, calm down. You haven't been an adult for even a full cycle of the Night Circle. It takes time to learn things. Dodger explained a few things to me since I got my kill, and I still don't understand everything. I'm still learning things just as you are. You're actually learning much faster than I ever did." Tracker did her best to sound calm and keep herself even. _I had to relearn a few things after Calin, too. There's something very problematic about not wanting anyone to touch you or even be near you and yet hate to not have someone where you can see and smell them._

Violet took a deep breath as she thought back to her healer training. _You have to not know things if you are to learn things, because if you already knew things then you would already know them._ Ruby's words of wisdom where just as true now as they were then.

"Okay, Tracker. Can you teach me, please?" she asked as she lowered her head in a respectful manner.

"What do you want to know?" Tracker asked after acknowledging her friend's show of respect. _I can't just explain what Dodger, Seeker, and Thud were talking about. That's only an example, and not a very good one. Too tricky._

Violet thought for a moment, "How did you know that Thud was mentioning something that was only meant for the pack leaders? Was it a smell or some kind of gesture?"

 _Violet one, Tracker zero._ "It was the exact words used," Tracker said, sighing in resignation. _This isn't going to be easy, Violet._

Violet tried to think back to the conversation...

 _Thud nodded at Littlefoot as he began his proposal, "I have a pack of three, but we are quite experienced in navigating the Barrens. It would be my pleasure for you two," he gestured at Dodger and Tracker, "...and Violet if she wishes, to follow my pack through the barrens. There is some lush land near the Land of Many Waters that could be claimed with a sufficiently strong challenge. And that way all of you would be close enough to your allies to help them if the need should arise, or to be helped by them if you are in trouble. It would give you a good start."_

She rubbed her head. There was nothing that she could see that was special there. Except…

"Thud mentioned me… he said 'and Violet if she wishes…' does he… was he saying something about me?" Thud had talked to her the previous night and this made alarm bells go off in the fastbiter's mind. Was she missing something, "Thud… um… did talk to me last night."

 _Why do I get the feeling I should be worried here? This is not where I was planning on going with this._ "What exactly did you talk about?" Tracker asked. As much as she tried to avoid it, it sounded far too accusatory to Tracker's own ears. She could only imagine what Violet heard.

"A lot of stuff… he...um… figured out about my sniffer," Violet began, "And he talked about how his brother had the same problem."

"That all?" Tracker prodded. _Interesting information, but I'm looking for bigger problems._

Violet cringed a little, "...I never knew what happened to others like me until he told me. Did… did anyone try to tell Mom or Dad to get rid of me?"

"Violet, if your father was anything like Dodger, anyone stupid enough to even look at you wrong would be dead before they hit the ground." _I'm going to have a talk with Thud after this. It might end up involving Orange Death. What made you think telling Violet this was even remotely a good idea, Thud? Have you gone senile?_

Violet nodded, "I just… didn't know that was what happened. Thud mentioned how glad he was to see that I was doing well.. and he said that my packmates must love me a lot," she smiled, "I just felt sorry for Thud, it seemed like he wondered how his brother would have grown up."

She shook her head, "And then Taunt interrupted us to tell his Dad that Seeker wanted to talk to him, before Thud told me that he didn't blame me for trying to attack Leap… he said that it was an understandable reaction under the circumstances," she smiled meekly, "Sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I?"

"That's quite a conversation, Violet," Tracker said. _Well, that was quite different from what I was worried about._ "You said something earlier about wanting to tell me something you told Haven and about us finding her. What was that?" Tracker was actually a bit concerned, and her face showed it.

Violet hesitated, "Um… well it involved a joke that Taunt said when he interrupted Thud. He joked and said that his Dad wasn't talking to me… he was flirting with me."

"I hope Stern Claw doesn't mind finding a new mate, because Taunt isn't going to live much longer," Tracker grumbled, quickening her pace a bit. _Of all of Violet's insecurities to attack, why that one?_

Violet sighed, "I talked to Haven about that and she told me a bit more about Taunt. He had no idea about my parents… and humor is how he copes with his own problems," she shook her head, "...he had to be helped out of his own shell when he hatched and was constantly sick. It was only his humor that kept him going despite everything else."

"Violet, etiquette lesson. Do you think I would like everyone knowing about my problems?" Tracker asked irritatedly. _I_ know _we taught you better…_ "Particularly with Calin?" she hissed too low for anyone but Violet to hear.

Violet felt utterly dejected at Tracker's swift talking down, "But… but Haven shared the information with me. She wanted me to know why he did things the way he did… if she told me then why was it wrong that I told you?" she asked pitifully, "I don't understand… I just don't want you to be angry at Taunt when I know why he does what he does."

Tracker deliberately softened her features. _As much as she doesn't want to be, I need to remember just how much of a kid Violet really is. And that she usually has good intentions._ "Violet, I get what you meant to do. I know you mean well… but Haven told that story to _you_ , not to me. You were not told that you could pass that story along. It would hurt Taunt if everyone knew. You weren't happy when everyone found out about your smell-blindness, were you? Had you not hurt your head, would you have told anyone you were smell-blind?" Tracker hated to go there, but she wanted Violet to understand on a personal level.

Violet looked down, "I… I guess I should have just told you that Taunt had his reasons for being the way he is then? That way I wouldn't have wronged him?"

"That would have been better, yes," Tracker said. _Let's get away from this._ "Do you remember what Thud was saying to Dodger earlier?"

Violet thought back to the conversation again…

 _Thud then coughed awkwardly. "If the pack wishes to remain as it is now then that is what my pack can do for you."_

Violent blinked, "If the pack wishes to remain as it is now… what did he mean about that?"

"If we wish, he'll help us secure a territory. It would be back to just us three, assuming you want to keep following Dodger and me around. There was also an unsaid implication. Can you figure out what it is?" _It's not like she can hurt anything here if she gets mad_ , Tracker thought, _Let's see how she does_.

"Well… he did talk to me last night…" Violet began, "Does… does he want me to join his pack? If so then why didn't he ask me?"

"Very good, Violet. You're on the right path. He was asking you, along with the rest of us. If we wanted we could join his pack. All three of us," Tracker explained.

Violet nodded slowly, "He knows that you and Dodger will go together, obviously. But why did he mention me specifically earlier? If I went to his pack that would only leave you and Dodger… That… that would be too dangerous!"

"Could be. You were mentioned separately because you get to make your own choice. I'm going to do whatever Dodger decides to do, whether that's join Thud's pack or remain on our own. We'll be discussing it, of course, but Dodger's going to call it his decision even if I talked him into doing something stupid that he was wholeheartedly against, assuming I could do that. You have to decide who you want to stay with," Tracker replied. _Choose wisely, Violet._

Violet looked down, "I… I have learned so much here… and Thud is nice… but I don't want to lose either of you," she nearly whined, "But… but I know both of you need to be with someone… a pack of two is too small."

"Violet, you decide what is best for you. Dodger and I will take care of ourselves. I don't want you to leave. Far from it. But if you want to stay with Dodger and me I don't want it to be because you're worried about us. Who knows, we might end up joining Thud's pack. If you wish to stay here I know you'll be among friends. If you wish to go with us, you're more than welcome. If you want to go with Thud, he'll be more than happy to have you come along. Do what's best for you. You're an adult now, Violet. I can't make the choice for you. Neither can your brother." Tracker was doing her best to stay neutral, but she really didn't want Violet to leave.

Violet nodded, "If we stayed together then we could always come back during the Wet Times, couldn't we? We would just need to give them a peace offering… so… I wouldn't have to say goodbye to them forever."

"You wouldn't. Nor would you have to say goodbye to me and Dodger forever if you stayed," Tracker said carefully, "You don't have to decide right now. Just be thinking about it. We've probably only got a few days to decide. I don't think they'd be telling us this if we had several cycles of the Night Circle to think about it."

Violet grew silent for several moment as the possibilities echoed in her mind. It was a daunting prospect. She had never been in a pack that wasn't family, which was an oddity amongst sharpteeth, and she had come to the age of independence for most of her kind. Now that she had her first taste of adulthood the desire to strike off into a new pack was overwhelming. It was a confusing torrent of emotions.

"Hey, are you two alright?" Taunt's concerned voice echoed from some distance away. He only saw Tracker from behind, but Violet's deeply conflicted face was clearly within his view.

Violet and Tracker's actions were more instinct than conscious thought. Violet rushed forward and to the side while Tracker spun around. Both ended up in defensive stances, searching for threats.

Taunt immediately raised his arms in a placative gesture, "Easy, girls… I just wanted to make sure that you both were okay." He suppressed any joke that he may have had about their jumpiness. He was concerned about their safety right now more than anything. _What could have spooked them so badly?_

"We're fine," Tracker replied, "Did you need something, Taunt?" _Calm down. Control your breathing. You're not under attack. You'd be dead if you were. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. I should have been paying more attention to what was going on around me. It's not like this place can't be invaded. That's how I ended up here in the first place._ To her side Violet was gasping for air, having nearly had a panic attack.

Taunt shook his head, "No I just smelled fear in the wind and wanted to make sure everyone was alright," he hesitated when he saw Violet's reaction, "If you girls ever need any help just let any of us know, alright?" His voice was almost pleading. He remembered the aftermath of when Tracker gave her false alert, and he hoped that this was not another situation of something from her tortured past coming back to haunt them.

"Alright," Violet replied, trying to cover up her mistake, "We were just talking." _Good thing you didn't show up when we were talking about you. Yikes._

"We're fine, Taunt. Really," Tracker said, "Nothing's wrong."

Knowing that he was not getting the whole story, Taunt still remained concerned for the two females, but he nodded nonetheless and retreated back to where he was hunting for ground fuzzies. He figured if there was a problem that they would let him or someone else know. Or so he hoped.

The girls were again alone with their thoughts.

* * *

 **Hanging Rock, present day:**

Cynnil forced herself to focus her gaze on the two fastrunners in front of her as opposed to Mender and Orchid's nearly petrified form. Despite the fact that she could read Orchid's intentions in his mannerisms and the few words that carried to her location, she was not about to give away that she knew his secret.

 _You have more self-doubt than anyone I have ever seen, Orchid._ Mender then appeared in her thoughts. _Well, almost anyone. If you want to join the pack then prove to me that you are willing to put those doubts aside._

"I was nervous, too," Mender told Orchid, seeing his hesitation, "Remember, you've already done the hard part."

Cynnil smirked as Arial looked up from her meal. "What are they talking about?"

"They're going to miss their fish. Well, more fish for us!" Nahoda joked, but he looked back as well. Cynnil put a hand on his beak before he could speak to the wayward fastrunner, however.

No. This he would have to do on his own. Or, at least with only the assistance of Mender.

"You've got nothing to be afraid of, Orchid. Waiting isn't going to make you feel any better."

The fastrunner sighed, and Cynnil could almost see his nod in her head. "Yeah… let's get this over with."

Now both Arial and Nahoda were staring at the hidden runner. Their glares communicating one message loud and clear. _What is going on here, Cynnil?_

The hidden runner did not answer except to put a digit next to her beak in a 'remain silent' gesture. This would have to play itself out.

"Um…" Orchid was suddenly hesitant despite never having trouble speaking his mind before. "...Cynnil, ma'am?"

 _About time._

The hidden runner turned around with deliberate slowness as she tilted her head in a gesture of questioning. _Congratulations, Orchid, you used my name. Now let's see you use complete sentences._ "Hmmm?"

Mender shot Cynnil an irritated look before forcing her expression back to neutral. While not exactly making this harder, the pack leader wasn't exactly making things easier, either.

 _Patience, Mender._

"I… you are allowing us to go with your pack until we get to our sister's pack. And I am very grateful for that… but… um..."

Cynnil waited patiently.

"Would you be open to having another member when you leave her pack's lands?"

Nahoda nearly choked on his fish as Arial beat on his back with a bit more force than necessary to stop his distress. Buse also looked at the fastrunner as if he had grown a second tail. Only two pack members did not look surprised.

Mender and Arial.

Cynnil smiled and raised the young male's beak to stop his respectful bow and allow him to see her eye to eye. "I am open to that, young one. Do you have anyone in mind?"

This time Mender didn't bother hiding her displeasure, openly glaring at Cynnil.

As Orchid opened his mouth to speak Cynnil merely laughed. "It's alright, Orchid. I was testing your self-confidence and you passed with some assistance." She smirked at Mender's glare. "What have you told him of what it takes to join a pack, Mender? It is a bit different between our kinds."

"I told him that he has to prove himself. I just didn't explain how..." Mender answered, now realizing that she really didn't know _how_ to have Orchid prove himself.

"Ah, now that is the rub, isn't it? In hidden runner packs one generally needs to be proven trustworthy by prior deeds or mating, and then prove to be useful as a scout, tracker, or breeder." Cynnil then gestured at Mender. "Your kind does it differently, however."

"Fastbiters complete some kind of challenge set by the pack leader," Mender explained, "I didn't really have one myself. Never really asked why."

"Your pack did not challenge you because you had been around long enough to prove reliable, and you would not have been able to hide deceit," Cynnil responded, "Besides, you remember what Seeker said in the song… And on the day you saved Leap, I knew that my pack was safe to keep; in your hands many rely, lest many survivors would have died."

Orchid looked at Mender with confusion. "What?"

Mender sighed. "That may be a song for another time."

"If you pass your challenge then you will have plenty of time to hear it," Cynnil added.

Orchid suddenly looked smaller. "So… I need to go through the same thing that a fastbiter does?"

It was now that Buse's recovery from his shock allowed him to verbalize his thoughts for better or worse. "Well it isn't like we can have you join the hidden runner way and join through ties of blood. I don't think Cynnil is your type."

Mender groaned. "I really hope you and Taunt never meet." She then realized where they were going once they were done here. "Don't get any ideas from him."

Cynnil, well accustomed to Buse's idea of wit, merely rolled her eyes. "Fastbiters do this to prove the loyalty of those who are unknown, but you are known, Orchid. If it was just a matter of loyalty then I would allow you to join."

Orchid tilted his head. "What else is there?"

"Survival." Cynill answered as she gestured at the distant mountains. "A pack is only as strong as its weakest member. You will be safe in your sister's lands, but if you join with us then you will not be in a land of safety. It is one thing to be good enough to survive on your own through your training, but we need to know that you have what it takes to help the pack when things get rough. That is something else entirely."

Orchid sucked in a deep breath. "Whatever it is I accept your challenge. Please just give me a chance."

Nahoda hesitantly stepped forward. "Where we are going sounds like a pretty safe place. Why do you want to leave? It isn't like Arial and I are going to chase you off."

"He wants to see the world and find his own place in it."

Orchid turned his head as Arial spoke. A kind beak-smile appearing on her face.

"Just remember if things don't work out that you are welcome with us."

Orchid opened his beak to speak, but words refused to escape. Nahoda's nod confirmed his feelings on this as well. In the face of such a welcome he almost felt guilty seeking to strike off on his own.

But the drive remained. The drive to make his own life. To find his own path.

To be his own person.

"A challenge it is then." Cynnil spoke, sending everyone's gaze in her direction. "And I do believe that I have just the challenge for you. If you want to join the pack then you must face your deepest weaknesses and overcome them through your own strengths."

Orchid rubbed his beak in confusion. "And what are those?"

Cynnil smiled. "Finding those, my dear fastrunner, will be part of the challenge."

Orchid resisted the urge to shiver at the smiles that now appeared on the faces of the two females. Little did he know that Mender's smile was one of remembrance.

* * *

 **The past:**

To say that Dodger's day was ruined would probably be an understatement. Listening to Littlefoot and Thud talk was not at all a problem for him. Thinking about what they said, however, had nearly sent him into a panic.

 _What am I supposed to do about Violet?_ Dodger wondered for probably the tenth time, _I really need to know what she wants if I'm going to make a decision myself. No matter how much that decision might hurt._ The very idea of his sister leaving him, of no longer being close enough for him to protect, disturbed Dodger immensely. _If she wishes to stay with Seeker's pack, she might not be able to stay all that long. What is she supposed to do if she's asked to leave?_ He knew from his parents' warnings that it would be dangerous for unattached fastbiters to be anywhere near nesting pairs. While granting him now useful information, Dodger was sometimes disturbed by how much his father considered appropriate for a child that had seen only nine Cold Times to know, though he suspected that it might have something to do with only one of his children managing to survive to adulthood.

 _If she wants to stay with Thud, which, honestly, would obligate me to make the same choice, I'll need to make sure to talk to Thud a bit about potential problems. I should probably do that with Seeker's pack as well, just in case. Maybe I should find Taunt while I'm out here. He nearly caused a problem by accident…_

Dodger felt like he was going to lose his mind. There seemed so much to do and so little time to do it in. He'd spent his entire life protecting his sister. Now he was trying to figure out how to do that even when he wasn't present. _If this is what it's like seeing your kids leave, I'm not going to survive them turning twelve. Violet's about to cause me a panic attack, and she's not even my daughter. Now someone just needs to tell my head to stop acting like she is._

The blue fastbiter did his best to calm himself. _Okay, so, Violet aside, what should Tracker and I do? If she doesn't want to stay with us, I'm going to have to insist we join Thud's group regardless of what Tracker might want. I'm not putting her in danger just to remain a pack leader. If Violet wants to stay with me and Tracker, I guess we'll just have to talk it over. I can't figure this out by myself._ Feeling a bit more in control, Dodger set out to find the rest of his pack. _Hopefully finding them will be more straightforward than what I've been thinking lately. Ugh. Who would actually_ want _to be a pack leader?_

* * *

Taunt grabbed another ground fuzzy through a fresh hole that he had dug through its nest. Despite the fact that ground fuzzies were little more than appetizers to him at his age, he still enjoyed their taste, and the challenge of catching the fast mammals.

Dodger was having to deal with his own challenge. _If Violet ever finds out I managed to get myself a bit turned around she's never going to let me hear the end of it._ Taking a look around and spotting Taunt, he decided that his sister was the least of his worries for the moment. _Oh, you've got to be joking. I just had to end up close to Taunt while lost. Great… So, should I ask for help or try to disappear before he notices me?_

Taunt looked up as he caught a rather familiar scent on the wind. _Ah, Dodger. I wonder what he is up to…_ That was when he saw Dodger's expression, _He looks like Violet usually does. What has spooked him, I wonder?_ All thoughts of pestering the ally was gone, as he put one of his latest catches away.

"Are you alright, Dodger? You look like you just saw two spiketails mating."

"Apparently you've never run into a mated pair of two-footers that don't appreciate you being anywhere near their nest," Dodger muttered before speaking loud enough to answer Taunt. _Spiketails mating isn't nearly as disturbing after that experience. Scouting isn't always safe._ "I'm actually a bit turned around," Dodger admitted reluctantly.

Taunt gave a slight tail-smile as he nodded respectfully in the other's direction, "Where would you like to go, Dodger?"

"I'm just trying to find my packmates." _I have no clue where they are._

Taunt hesitated for a moment. _Both Violet and Tracker looked utterly spooked earlier… I bet that all of this is related. Did they piss off Seeker or something?_ "Um… alright. I actually just talked to them a little while ago…" he debated whether to mention how agitated that they seemed, but decided against it, "...they went that way as far as I can tell. That is where their scent trail goes. I lost track of them after I stopped to make sure they were alright."

"Was something wrong?" Dodger asked, unable to keep the worry out of his voice.

Taunt hesitated, _shit…_ "They said that everything was alright, but… they looked a little concerned to me, so I decided to check on them." Taunt reflected that this was probably one of the biggest understatements that he had said in many days.

"Find out anything?" Dodger asked. _If you're not telling me something, we're going to have a problem._

Taunt saw the expression on Dodger's face and took a deep breath, "No… but… they did look very concerned… they kind of went defensive when I asked them the question," he then tilted his head at the other fastbiter, "Are you sure everything is alright, Dodger? I can't help unless people want me to help." Normally such a reaction would have made the fastbiter feel like he was neglecting his duties in adding a bit of humor to his packmates' lives, but this all changed when they were in danger. At this point he suspected that something major was underfoot.

"Can I trust you to keep your mouth shut?" Dodger asked bluntly and probably more harshly than he needed to. _You haven't shown that much control over your words, Taunt. Can I trust you to be quiet until Seeker tells your whole pack?_

Taunt froze and looked at his clawed hand as if he were considering something. Then, with a swift movement he nipped at it, drawing a very small amount of blood, "I give you my vow. Only my vow to my leader and pack exceed this," he then offered his hand, "I cannot promise that I won't tell my pack leader if the pack is threatened, but otherwise my mouth will stay shut." the hand continued to be offered, as if Taunt were waiting for something.

Dodger copied the gesture, nicking himself before clasping Taunt's hand. _Funny how both times I've done this involved my sister._ "Tracker and Violet might've figured it out already, but Seeker pretty much told me that my pack needs to leave when Thud's does. Hopefully that's what's bothering them."

Taunt nodded, "So I take it that…" he hesitated for a moment, "And I mean no disrespect, but I take it that there is also the matter of where Violet wants to go?" It was a leap of deduction, but one that Taunt felt relatively comfortable in making.

"You say it like she's a problem," Dodger responded, a bit of an edge to his voice.

Taunt held the insult that threatened to leave his tongue, "It may be hard for you to believe, sir," the 'sir' had an edge to it as well, "But my jokes are not the sum total of my character. They are how I deal with things that I cannot change. Laughing is healthier than crying, and the Night Circle knows I cried too much during my youth. Your sister is no more of a burden than I was at her age. In most families I would have been killed to save resources, but yet here I am."

He took a step forward as he noted the blood on his hand, "It was a hard day when I had to leave my family. I am sure that it is the same for Violet," he thought for a moment, "She might be tempted to join a larger pack for her safety in the same way that I had to do."

"And I've got no problem with that. Unlike you, though, Violet won't be able to leave if there's a problem. Not without someone to help her." Dodger had noticed what Taunt had said about himself but hid his surprise both on his face and his scent by letting himself stay angry and focusing on his sister. "Some of my packmates, the pack I was hatched in, anyway, didn't like Violet very much and made no secret about it. My siblings and I dealt with it, but still a few would whisper where they thought they couldn't be heard. One suggested getting rid of her. I nearly got rid of him." _And I probably would be in quite a bit more trouble if Violet and I hadn't taken an unexpected swim the next day._

Taunt nodded, "I take it that Seeker gave you some terms on how he wants you to leave? Surely he didn't just tell you to get lost… that is not the sort of fastbiter that he is." Taunt pondered for a moment, "Is Thud allowing you all to follow him for a while until you get past the barrens?"

"I'm starting to think you were spying," Dodger said with as much humor as he could muster, in part an effort to calm down, "He did say that. He also invited us to join his pack if we wished." _If Taunt's sworn to be quiet, there's no harm in telling him that. I hope._

Taunt didn't hide his surprise at the second part of Dodger's statement. The offer to join a pack was not one to be made lightly, but it made sense in this case. A pack of five or six would be in a safer position than two packs of three, "I… did not expect that. Rest assured that my packmates and I will respect whichever choice you make. I… um…" he hesitated as he considered how to put his next thought into words.

"We're still trying to figure things out ourselves," Dodger said, giving Taunt a chance to either drop what he planned on saying if he wanted or more time to figure out what he was trying to say.

"Do you have your pack names yet?" Taunt finally blurted out with a somewhat embarrassed expression on his face. He was not sure if Dodger and Tracker were adult names or not, but he had his doubts. Violet, in particular, was an unlikely name for a pack name.

 _Does Violet's name not make it obvious?_ Dodger sighed, _Not everyone has Tracker's perception._ "No. When we first started out we were still some Cold Times from being old enough to leave on our own. Over time we couldn't think of anything else to call ourselves, especially since we were in dangerous situations so often we couldn't afford even a moment's confusion."

Taunt nodded, "It is custom that pack names only be given when a fastbiter enters a pack as an adult, and it is given by another one with a pack name. It is not something to be considered lightly," he hesitated as he struggled to make his words as diplomatic as the situation demanded. _Damn, I am not good at this!_ "If you join Thud's pack then he _will_ give you all new names. But if you choose to stay as a pack then you may ask that honor of us, if you wish. If you feel that Seeker is worthy of that honor." Despite his best efforts, Taunt had worded his kind offer as an implied test of loyalty, but not really an unkind one. It was an awkward statement that would have given Violet a pounding headache were she to be present.

"If we stay independent, I'll ask Seeker," Dodger replied. He didn't even have to think about that answer. _Maybe I should talk to Taunt about Violet. If she wants to stay, assuming she can, he'll need to know a few things so I don't come back here and do something horrible to him._ "Taunt, can I talk to you about something? Something that I don't want mentioned beyond just us. Ever."

Taunt nodded, "Of course, Dodger. I gave you my vow. As long as it doesn't endanger my packmates, it shall remain secret." Though Taunt was a bit disturbed by the intense expression on the pack leader's face. He mused that it clearly communicated the 'don't share this with anyone or you will die' conversation quite well without the need for words.

"It's about Violet. I heard you made a joke at her expense last night." Dodger was doing his best to stay calm and not get agitated, but anything involving Violet risked sending him into an overprotective frenzy. _Let's see if he remembers._

Taunt thought for a moment and nodded, "Yes. I pestered her and my father after he made a joke at my expense," he smiled slightly, "It is a bit of a family tradition to trade jokes with one another."

"You wouldn't happen to remember the joke exactly, would you?"

Taunt hesitated for a moment as he thought back to the previous night, _I think I will leave the flirting joke to myself…_ "I told them all, after my father had his turn to joke, that my charm was irresistible to no one. Your sister said that she must had been 'no one' then, as she did not find me charming." he smiled, "She has a bit of wit in her."

"That she does, but that wasn't the one I was referring to," Dodger responded. _Either he doesn't remember or he thinks it will get him in trouble. Smart. Annoying at times, but smart._

Taunt frowned, "I… um… did imply that my father was flirting with Violet," he quickly added context out of fear for his safety, "It is a similar joke that I make whenever Stern Claw is around another male or my father is around a female. He has sworn off such things since Mother died."

 _Glad to know Taunt wasn't specifically targeting Violet, but…_ "Could you do me a favor and never make that joke when Violet is involved again, especially if your father is involved as well?" Dodger asked. _I'll explain if he wants me to._

Taunt nodded in agreement, "Of course, but, if you don't mind me asking, what about that specifically upset her?" he tilted his head in query, "If I tell her a different joke in the future I want to make sure that it doesn't also touch on whatever offended her deeply. Most of my packmates would find that kind of joke to be harmless."

"I'm pretty sure your packmates didn't have to deal with a good chunk of the pack they hatched acting like their very existence was offensive to them and later have a cousin try to kill them," Dodger responded with far more anger than he intended. _I'm never going to forgive myself for not taking on Prowler the first time he hurt Violet._

Taunt looked at Dodger oddly, "I'm sorry, but why did your old pack look at you that way? A pack is supposed to support its own," he shook his head, "I can't imagine having family trying to kill you. Well… not since the days when my dad was with Redclaw."

"I should probably explain. My father was the pack deputy. My mother became my father's mate not too long after she joined the pack." _It was nearly a requirement for joining, but explaining that would take awhile._ "Some of the others were jealous of the prestige that gave her. Their kids not too surprisingly didn't like me or my siblings. The same kids outright hated Violet. Having a high-ranked parent and being smell-blind made her a target. Later, when we ended up on our own, Prowler was rather cruel to my sister. The worst part was that much of what he said was hard to refute. Violet is smell-blind, and, unfortunately, a bit clumsy both with her body and her words." Dodger sighed. He felt like a failure as a brother, and, if he dared use the word, as a parent. He'd done his best to teach his sister, but not every lesson sank in or in time for her to avoid learning something the hard way.

Taunt listened to Dodger's words with growing rage. He had memories of his childhood and somewhat regretting not having any other young biters to play with, but after hearing the other fastbiter's story he was much more circumspect.

"That is fucking horrible!" Taunt gritted his teeth, but resolved to be as honest with Dodger as the fastbiter was being with him. "I was so weak as a hatchling that my parents helped me out of the egg. What would I have done if my parents had been in a pack? Would I have become who I am today if I had other people my age calling me worthless or weak? Urgh…."

He growled as he looked away for a moment and caught his breath, "Why the fuck did your cousin want to hurt Violet?"

"Prowler's my cousin," Dodger said tiredly, as if that was explanation enough. It was also an accusation directed at himself.

Taunt shook his head, "Yeah… the old pack leader. The one that left his comrades behind. Proof that leadership doesn't pass by blood." he nearly spat the last word, "But what I don't understand is… why exactly did the joke involving my father upset her so much? My father is quite a nice biter, if a bit intimidating if you don't know him."

"Taunt, how old were your parents when you hatched?" Dodger asked before hastily adding, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Taunt didn't get the implication, "Well, my dad is a bit older, obviously. But when I was hatched he was about six Cold Times older than Seeker. Mother was about Seeker's age… she was an early layer. Why do you ask?"

"When my father met my mother it was not that long before seeing off his daughter from a previous mate. She'd died only a few Cold Times after the eggs hatched." _Please don't let that happen to Tracker. I'll lose my head._ _If I haven't lost it already._

Taunt hesitated for a moment, "Ah… a bit of an age difference. But I fail to see why that is a problem. We fastbiters live a hard life, and sometimes we join our ancestors at different times," he shook his head, "I know that if I were to meet my end soon then I would want Stern Claw to find someone else that made her happy… just remember me in song."

"The pack wasn't too happy when my mother and her sister, Prowler's mother showed up. In that pack, the leaders' mates outranked the rest of the pack members as a way of emphasizing that the leaders were unquestionably in charge." _If you made a challenge, you'd better be sure because you would either be victorious, dead, or running for your life._ "They weren't too happy with a couple girls that had only seen fourteen Cold Times each suddenly outranking them."

Taunt was taken aback, "Why would a pack decide things that way? That is asking for trouble. I mean, Ponder gets some special treatment because… well… Seeker has to sleep with her, you know?" Taunt stated in a matter-of-fact way, "But Stern Claw and I both outrank her. Keeping rank separate from love is better… that would sound like a very bad combination."

"Well, outside of the pack leader and his deputy or deputies," Dodger explained, "no one else had a right to command. If you wanted to be in charge you made a challenge. Failure meant death or banishment. Even the leaders' mates were not part of the leadership since they didn't earn it. Outside of the leadership, the ranks were for prestige only."

Taunt rubbed his head for a moment, "Eh… It is somewhat uncommon for a fastbiter male to have many mates because of… well… battles over which mate is the highest-ranked mate. My old pack once came across a pack that consisted of one male and his three mates. Somehow I think that Stern Claw would gut me if I even joked about taking an extra mate," he then shifted awkwardly, "Though I guess if a pack has extra males or females then interesting arrangements do happen. I know that the leader of the Hidden Runners, Ignis, has six males for herself as of the last time Spotter stopped by to talk to her. Hidden Runners are weird."

"Prowler's mother, my aunt, ended up as the pack leader's second mate. Had she and my mother not fought so much over my father's attention, things might have been different." _I'm glad they did fight, considering how Prowler is._ "Most of the other pairs were closer to the same age, so my mother and her sister really stood out." _How exactly do I explain Violet's problem without making her look bad? Anyone else would've let me leave it at the age gap._

"I see…" Truth be told, Taunt was amazed by the degree of candor that Dodger was expressing. It was now quite clear how his joke had offended Dodger's sister, "I am sorry for joking about that matter then. I had no idea about that part of her story." he bowed his head slightly in an apologetic gesture that almost seemed wrong when it was coming from Taunt.

"You didn't know," Dodger said as he tried to figure out how say that everything was fine as long as the joke wasn't done again. "Did you notice how Violet reacted to the joke? Since she didn't bother to tell me what happened herself... "

"She did glare at me a moment, but I am kind of used to that from Stern Claw. I didn't think at the time that it bothered her too much." Taunt answered.

"So she didn't panic?" _Just making sure she didn't take it too much to heart or think it meant she was unlikable._

Taunt shook his head, "No. She seemed quite in control. Much more in control than she was when I saw her earlier."

"I'd best find them quickly, then. Taunt, don't mention what we said about my sister to anyone, _especially_ Violet," Dodger said.

Taunt nodded, "You have my vow. Do you want me to help you track them down? Two sniffers are better than one."

"If it's not too much trouble…" _I could use all the help I can get._

Without further words, Taunt followed Dodger as the two tried to follow Tracker and Violet's scent trail. Undoubtedly, a very important pack discussion was about to take place.

* * *

The tall grass parted in front of Taunt as the tell-tale scales of two fastbiters began to come into view, glimmering in the sunlight. It was then that Taunt gave Dodger the slightest of nods as he knew that it was his time to leave.

Spotting Taunt, Tracker rushed over before he could leave. "Taunt, would you be willing to go find your father for me? I need to talk to him."

Taunt was taken aback, "Um… sure. What should I tell him that you want to discuss?" Even though he was Thud's son, he knew that he would need to be specific with his summons. If this was about the 'pack' issue then his father would need to know beforehand.

"Well," Tracker began, feeling a bit embarrassed over the topic, "Thud said something to Violet about her smell-blindness, and I'd like to talk to him about that." _If I get any more specific this is going to end up involving more than just Thud and myself._

Taunt shifted uncomfortably as he glanced at Dodger and told a weak joke, "Keep them from killing my father, alright?" he then quickly sprinted off to fetch his father.

Violet watched the exchange with more than a little agitation. She didn't want to be a source of any further conflict. Especially not with her potential future pack leader.

"I'm not going to start a fight, Violet," Tracker said, trying to reassure Violet once Taunt left.

"I missed something, didn't I?" Dodger asked, looking from his mate to his sister and back.

Violet shifted a little, "Thud talked to me last night before I went back to my sleeping area."

"I heard about that. And you didn't tell me," Dodger tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice, but keeping secrets, especially ones that were bothering her, was something he'd tried his best to discourage in Violet.

Violet looked down, suddenly ashamed, "I didn't know what I was supposed to do. He is a pack leader, and he said stuff that he didn't want me to tell other people. Kind of like with me and my smell-blindness," she looked up at Dodger with more than a little confusion, "It wasn't anything that would have harmed any of us. Unless you wanted to know why Taunt acts like Taunt." she added the last sentence with more than a little exasperation. Taunt seemed to evoke that response even when he wasn't present.

Tracker shot Violet a warning look. _That's not yours to tell, Violet._

Violet nodded in response. If Dodger asked for the details then she would simply direct him to Thud. After all, if they joined with his pack then they would hear those songs soon enough.

"It still bothered you, though. I don't like hearing that my sister was upset from another pack leader," Dodger said. _I'm here to help, Violet. All you have to do is ask._ "Is everything alright, now?"

Violet took a deep breath, "As alright as it can be with us not knowing where we are going from here."

"What do you mean by that?" Dodger asked. _She probably guessed it, but I need to be sure._

Violet hesitated, "Um… I didn't get it until Tracker helped to explain things to me. But… we can either leave on our own or…" she hesitated, "Is that part of the reason Thud talked to me last night? He wanted me to know that he wouldn't mind a smell-blind packmate?" in her nervousness she didn't realize that she was jumping from one topic to another.

 _And there's the Violet I've known my whole life._ "I'm not sure. I can't see inside Thud's head. And I'm glad I can't see inside Taunt's. Thud said that he would either help us claim or territory or let us join his pack. He mentioned you by name, so your choice is your own." Dodger sighed. _You'll never know how much this hurts to say._ "I can't make that decision for you. You're an adult now. What do you want to do?"

Violet froze as the suddenness of the question brought her possibilities into sharp focus. This was it, and there would be little possibility of going back once she declared her loyalties. Would she try to join Seeker's pack? Or join with Thud's? Or, for that matter, would she simply agree with whatever decision Dodger made? In that moment she tried to think, but her overwhelmed mind seemed unsuitable for the task. She had never suspected that she would have to make such a choice, but yet, here it was.

"You don't have to decide right now," Tracker said, echoing her earlier words. She could see how much this was bothering Violet. This was not surprising. It was a huge step to take.

Dodger didn't trust himself to speak. _I'm surprised I'm still standing. I should probably talk to her about the practicalities of each option, but it doesn't look like she's in any shape to discuss this that deeply right now._

"What would happen if I stayed in Seeker's pack?" Violet asked with hesitation, "Prowler's dad had two mates, would that happen to me? Haven already doesn't have a male…" her mind was now running through all of the possibilities, but in the end they all came back to fears from her childhood. Fears that Taunt had brought to the surface the night before.

 _Would it look bad if I pummeled Taunt the next time I saw him?_ Dodger thought, _It's not entirely his fault, but he definitely didn't help._

"But if I went to Thud's pack alone… well… there is Thud and Leap," she couldn't help but shiver at that possibility. She had never thought about companionship in that way, really, but then again she never really had the opportunity to do so. If possible, the options in Thud's pack were even more awkward. If she were to enter into the Time of Mating then who knows how things would end up? Then there was the possibility of her leaving with Dodger and Tracker. She obviously couldn't mate with her brother, and that means she would need to leave at some point anyway, or they would have to take in a wayward male.

 _I honestly don't know what to say to that,_ Tracker thought.

 _I told Leap I wouldn't kill him. I told Leap I wouldn't kill him. I told… I'm going to kill him. Wait, no. Augh! This is beyond disturbing._ To anyone that didn't know Dodger nothing out of the ordinary was happening. To his packmates, Dodger looked like he was about to faint. _On the positive side, at least I know something about Leap. And Thud. Random unknown fastbiter… kill on sight. I think I'm going to sit down…_

"I guess… I guess unless our pack gets more members I will have to leave anyway, won't I? I will eventually have to go." Violet's words changed within a few instants from a mournful question to a statement of fact. The status quo could not last forever.

Thud walked near the pack with great hesitation as he heard Violet's words. He had not expected to enter when the pack was making up its mind. He had hoped to give them privacy during their decision making. _Son, what have you gotten me into now?_

Tracker was the first to spot Thud. _Oh crap._ The other two noticed Thud a moment after she did.

The three were almost instantly on their feet, their heads bowed as their respective ranks demanded. From their time with Prowler, only Dodger's bow was entirely accurate while Violet's was a close second. Tracker's would've resulted in severe pain for her suspected disrespect.

Thud paused as he took in the sight in front of him. Was this an indication of their acceptance of himself as their new pack leader? Or was this a mere show of respect? He decided to stay neutral in case the answer was the latter.

"Thank you," he then bowed respectfully as well, with an odd arch of the back which indicated uncertain rank, "I came because I was summoned."

"At ease," Dodger muttered before relaxing his stance and responding to Thud in a normal tone, "Thank you for coming. Tracker?" Dodger gestured to his mate.

"I needed to talk to you, sir," Tracker said, stepping forward a bit. Dodger subtly steered his sister away from what was meant to be a private conversation.

Thud noted the change in demeanor and turned to allow for a private conversation, "Should we speak over here?" he gestured a moderate distance away, but still well within visual and scent range of the others.

Tracker nodded and for once led the way. "I heard that you and Violet talked last night. Was it your intention to scare her?" Tracker asked, tone almost apologetic. _Maybe this wasn't a good idea._

Thud shook his head, "No; did I scare her?" his expression grew quite concerned, "I tried very hard to make my intentions known. I just wanted her to know that not everyone looks at those who are smell-blind as something to be discarded. I had never seen one like her that survived past their youth."

"She knew that some didn't like her. I don't know what you intended to accomplish by telling her that she should've been long dead. You managed to make her doubt her _parents._ " Tracker had stopped watching her tone and was now letting her anger show. _What were you thinking, Thud?_

Thud looked confused, "How did I make her doubt her own parents? The fact that they cared for her when others did not surely told her that she was loved," he looked at the fastbiter oddly, "Is it wrong to offer support in this cruel world?"

"She outright asked me about what her parents thought about her and started worrying if some of the others in her old pack wanted to kill her. The problem is, sir, she doesn't know. Not with her own memory. Dodger knows, but most of what Violet knows is what he told her. She was questioning everything she thought she knew." Tracker sighed in frustration. _Ancestors help me._

Thud froze at that acknowledgement. He had no idea that Violet's memories were so compromised, "Seeker told me that she had some memory problems, but I didn't realize that she barely remembered her parents. How horrible!" he looked down, ashamed, "The way that she talked about you and Dodger picking a fight with some that threatened her… and some of the other things… I just assumed that she remembered all of that."

"I wasn't part of Dodger's pack, as much as I wish I was. Dodger found me a bit after he, Violet, and Prowler got separated from their pack. My pack died in attack not that long beforehand. I was the only one that made it." Tracker hated talking about her past. There was too much chance of someone pitying her. "Prowler didn't exactly approve of my joining." _Neither did Violet at first, actually._

Thud nodded, "I guess that I should have talked to Dodger first. I am so used to being on a good basis with Seeker's pack, that I forgot to use proper etiquette here," he looked at Tracker, "It would have avoided this confusion. Though… it would have also avoided Violet learning about the world at large. In my conversation with her she seemed very composed, albeit with quite a lot of nervousness. I had no idea that it messed her up so much."

"Violet tries to not let others know if something bothers her, Dodger usually excluded. Honestly I can't believe she didn't tell Dodger about this immediately. She asked me about it after talking to some of her other friends." _At least I think she asked Haven first. I still don't know whether I should feel hurt by that._

Thud remained silent as he considered the ramifications of that. _That must mean some of Seeker's pack. Perhaps she is considering joining his pack then._ "I hope that they calmed her down. Seeker's pack are a good bunch. I am still amazed that they accepted me after how I treated them in the past."

"Was it worse than apparent invasion and attack of one of their own? I've got the scar to prove they weren't happy to meet us." _I'm lucky I still have the leg,_ Tracker thought. She knew part of Thud's story, but there seemed to be some history not mentioned in the "Song of the Seven Hunters".

"I was part of Redclaw's pack before Calin came along," he muttered plainly, "When they were leaf-eaters I had tried to eat them on several occasions. I was even estranged from my own son until Redclaw betrayed my brother and I. It was only then that I saw the error of my ways. Power without honor is worthless."

Tracker took an unconscious step back from Thud at the mention of Calin. _Bad memories. Don't think about it!_ "Okay… why do I get the feeling not all of this happened inside the Grand Valley?"

Thud snorted, "Seeker, or Littlefoot as he was called then, and his friends always seemed to end up in the Mysterious Beyond. Sometimes back then I mused that they had a death wish. But they always found a way to escape," he shook his head, "Their reputations preceded them, though. No less than seven sharpteeth died trying to catch them, including Redclaw's son. Five little leaf-eater younglings did that. So what does fate do? It apparently decides they weren't horrifying enough so it gave them sharp teeth and claws." he added with some amusement.

"I think Dodger's more intimidated by Stern Claw's dad than anything with claws. I think it might have something to do with us never winning against a threehorn." Tracker decided to leave out that she really wasn't very fond of threehorns herself thanks to a certain near-death experience.

Thud nodded, "Maybe so. But I would hate to be on Seeker's bad side," he then looked at her intently, "Shall we go back to your pack?" there was a slight hesitation after 'your'. Thud still was not sure how he stood with this pack. It was a most awkward situation.

"Is something wrong?" Tracker asked, noticing that Thud's question didn't sound quite right.

"Forgive me, but… I was uncertain if there was anything else. If your pack leader has not made a decision then I can give you all privacy…" Thud sounded utterly helpless, a most odd situation for him.

 _Okay, maybe I shouldn't explain what our initial reaction to him was all about,_ Tracker thought, _It might get a bit weird. I don't want him believing we think he and Prowler are in_ any _way connected._ "We're still trying to figure it out. Violet's not taking any of this well, and I don't know what to say to help her. And Dodger is, well... " _I don't think I can explain Dodger, though Thud might actually be the most understanding. I'm surprised Violet never accidentally called him 'Dad', even mockingly. He worries about her enough to fit the title._

Thud sighed as he nodded slowly, "I understand… Just remember that the choice is entirely up to all of you. Whether I am to call you 'ally' or 'packmate', I only hope for the best for all of you… I will be helping my son find ground fuzzies if you need to summon me again," he then looked in Dodger's direction, some distance away, and gave a respectful nod. Then, without any further words, he sprinted off in the direction that his son had run off earlier.

Tracker watched him go, a bit wrongfooted. _Well, that was awkward. At least nothing bad came out of that. What's been getting into me lately? I'm rarely that rude even with Dodger._ Throwing what Thud had accidentally done in his face was the closest Tracker had ever gotten to picking a fight in her life. _I should probably make sure Dodger knows never to consider me for deputy, assuming we need that. I'm not cut out for that._

"Do I even want to know?" Dodger asked, having walked up to his mate after Thud left and pretending he hadn't heard anything at all.

"Probably not." _Translation: can we please not talk about it?_

"Ok, then." Silently the two walked back to where Violet had remained. Discussing all that with Violet listening probably wouldn't be the best idea.

Violet had barely paid attention as she considered the possibilities in her mind. She still had so much to learn, but if she were to stay then that would seal her path. It was almost too much for her to take in. _I almost wish that Dodger would choose for me._

"You alright, Violet?" Dodger asked. _Maybe we should take a break from this. Violet's going to worry herself to death trying to figure this out. That's my job, not hers._

Violet sighed, "Not really. I… I think it would be easier for me to choose if I knew what both of you were doing…" she shrugged, almost helplessly, "That way I would know where everything stood."

 _I'm going to ram my head into another tree_ , Dodger thought in frustration, _She does realize that if she chooses anything other than staying with us she'll have made our choice for us, right?_ "That could be a bit problematic, Violet."

Violet groaned, "And it isn't problematic now!?" then, as if she had been bitten, she realized who she was talking to, "Um… Sorry, Dodger… I…"

"Maybe we should all just take a break," Tracker suggested, fearing an argument was in the making and hoping to keep her mate from responding. Dodger's expression was unreadable and his scent was giving her contradicting messages.

"That might be best," Dodger said, doing his best to keep his tone neutral. _Stay calm. Stay calm. This isn't Violet's fault. I shouldn't have to tell myself this._

Violet closed her eyes as she took in the pack consensus. Then, without another word, she sat down again and stared off into the blue sky. The conversation may have been put on hold, but Violet's mind was still in full motion. _I just want my brother and Tracker to be safe…_

"I'll be back later," Dodger told Tracker. He turned and left almost at a run. _If I stay much longer I'll say something I'll regret._ He hated to admit it, but the whole conversation hurt. _Is she tired of being around me? Does Violet not feel I can keep her safe anymore? I'm not sure I want to know her answer._

 _Well, that's not good,_ Tracker thought, _Not good at all._

* * *

 **The present:**

"I still don't get why he doesn't go with us. Doesn't he know how bad it can be out there?"

Arial sighed. Sometimes Nahoda could see things that others might miss, but sometimes he saw things that weren't there.

"I mean… the Mysterious Beyond is not a good place. Everything wants to eat you, and everything you want to eat wants to kill you," Nahoda rambled on, "I mean… your sister and her friends sound scary too, but they are family so…"

Arial could not suppress her groan. "Dear."

"And what is he going to do with the pack? It isn't like he knows how to heal," Nahoda continued, "At least by a stream he can get fish and…"

"Dear," Arial tried again.

"And if he goes with a bunch of scary biters then how he can expect to make a family? After all, Mender is one scary…"

Nahoda did not have a chance to finish before Arial grabbed his beak with her hands and stared into his eyes. "Dear?"

Nahoda tried to answer in the affirmative but only muffled sounds came out. Arial suspected that Taunt already knew this particular fact of life: when one's mouth is held closed by their mate they can only speak in vowels.

Arial allowed herself a cheeky smile. "Orchid is a big fastrunner and can make his own decisions. If he wants to be a healer then he can be a healer. If he finds a nice female along the way and makes a family then he can do that. I am sure that he will make something work in the Mysterious Beyond because, unlike you, dear, he occasionally does look behind himself."

Nahoda tried to speak again. "En'der brite 'hind me?"

Arial looked at the violet fastbiter. "Do you have any plants that can help fix a lack of common sense, Mender?"

"Sorry, but nope. If I even knew of any I'd probably have run out a long time ago. Common sense is surprisingly uncommon," Mender answered, glancing at Nahoda in a way that was not entirely friendly.

Nahoda sighed as Arial let go of his beak. "But am I wrong, Mender? You said in your song that you barely survived until you met Seeker's pack. Wouldn't a stream be a safer place for a fastrunner than roaming around?" He looked over at Orchid and Cynnil in the distance as they inspected a cavern for some reason that Nahoda could only assume had to do with the challenge. "His distraction saved me. He saved my life."

Despite Nahoda's voice barely being a whisper, Mender could hear him clearly. "So you're saying that hanging around a rather _scary_ predator that likes you is somehow more dangerous than you needing to constantly look behind you to make sure I don't bite your tail off?" Mender asked. While she appreciated that Nahoda was concerned with Orchid's safety, she wasn't entirely sure that he was thinking all that clearly.

 _For the love of the ancestors, Nahoda, you're going to get yourself eaten before we even get to Seeker's pack._ Arial rolled her eyes as she gave Mender a knowing look. The meaning was clear 'he might be a doofus, but he is my doofus.'

Nahoda quickly moved his tail out of harm's way as if in reply. "I guess… I lived out there. So I am not so keen on going back to that kind of life. Of wandering and not knowing where your next meal would come from." He then gave Mender a respectful nod. "Or if you would become someone's meal."

Arial decided to change the subject before Mender insisted on additional 'training' for her mate. "What are they doing over there? Why is that cavern so important?"

"You don't recognize it, Arial?" Mender asked.

Arial took a few steps before her eyes lit up. "Oh! It's the old hiding place!"

Nahoda rolled his eyes. "Yeah, if you're an egg maybe."

This earned him a tail slap from his companion. "No, you idiot! It was the hiding place when Orchid and I were very, very little. Mommy and Daddy would fish in the stream so if any sharpteeth came by we would hide in there where they couldn't fit."

"Did you actually stay there?" Mender asked, knowing firsthand that even sick hatchlings had a tendency to wander, especially the youngest who had no sense of danger.

Arial nodded. "Many times. Screech and Thud would make their patrols here. Mommy and Daddy could sprint away, but we simply had to hide."

* * *

 _Thud did_ what _?_ Mender mentally shrieked, _Wait. This was before Screech died, so... But that's still ridiculous. There's nothing out here for them to have a reason to be anywhere near here. The only thing I've found decent to eat out here is Nahoda._ Her mind went blank for a moment. _I probably shouldn't say that out loud..._

Nahoda appeared to wilt as Mender gazed at him for a moment. Luckily for him the moment was cut off by a certain hidden runner.

"Hey, Mends! Cynnil wants to talk to us!"

"How many times do I have to tell you not to shout?" Mender muttered to herself before obeying the summons. _It's like you're trying to tell everything we could possibly eat that we're in the area._

Mender was soon greeted by the sight of a disheveled purple fastrunner gesturing wildly at the small cave. His feathers flared out in frustration.

"But a challenge is supposed to be possible, right? If you don't want me in the pack then all you had to do is tell me."

Cynnil smiled. "Ah… but you are thinking like a fastrunner. You will have to cure yourself of that before you can cure anyone else."

Orchid turned towards Mender as she arrived on scene, giving her the slightest of nods before looking at the cave again. He put his tail into the small hole, only to have it nearly get stuck as if to illustrate his point.

"I don't know how you want me to think. Only a fool would think that I can fit in here! The entire point was to keep sharpteeth away from us when we were little runners."

"Doesn't seem like it does its job too well," Mender thought aloud, "There's no other way out."

Orchid shrugged. "Sharpteeth gave up when we were in there and tried to focus on something larger. Though some of them snarled at us for a while…" He shivered as if remembering something. "But there was no way out."

Mender stuck her snout into the hiding place for a moment. "I'm pretty sure Staza could have reached you a couple years ago," she muttered.

Buse snorted. "Was she the size of a ground fuzzy?"

"Are you?" Mender asked, glancing at him mischievously.

"No, you cannot shove Buse's head into the hole, Mender. Otherwise how is Orchid supposed to get in there?" Cynnil muttered with a laugh.

Buse looked perplexed for a moment before he saw the look on Mender's face. "Hey!"

"So, no one ever tried digging you out?" Mender asked Orchid, curious.

Orchid looked a bit unnerved at Mender's curiosity about how other sharpteeth had tried to eat him in the past, but merely gestured at the claw marks in the rock. Even after all of these years, Screech's imprint still remained.

"Looks like he was making progress... why'd he stop?" Mender thought more than asked.

"Mender…" Cynnil warned, but Orchid answered weakly.

"My dad made a distraction, and they went after that." Orchid gulped. "He nearly didn't make it."

 _I really need to keep my big mouth shut,_ Mender thought to herself, glancing towards Orchid in silent apology.

"And I would have done it again in a heartbeat."

Everyone turned their heads towards the elder fastrunners. Detras had entered the scene along with his mate.

"So, son… thinking about becoming a healer?"

Detra's question struck the smaller fastrunner as if it clarified something in his mind. As if hearing it aloud made it more real.

"I want to explore, Dad. And…" He turned around to face his parents. "I thought that a pack would be as safe as anywhere else. I mean if you can't outrun them then join them." He gave Mender a playful look as if so confirm that there were no hard feelings.

"And you want to find your very own 'special female friend', no doubt," Pearl added with a smirk.

"Mom!"

Buse chuckled. "Busted!"

As the skin around Orchid's beak threatened to change into a pinker shade of violet, his father decided to spare his son from any more embarrassment.

"So you are giving me son a challenge in the fastbiter way. What have you prepared for him?"

Cynnil stepped forward and gestured to the small cavern. "His challenge, if he is to be found worthy of my pack, is to escape from Hanging Rock without being caught by my pack; to place one of his feathers into the deepest part of this cavern without going through the hole; and then to return to the sleeping area." Cynnil crossed her arms. "He will have as many chances as he wishes, but he must complete the challenge tonight."

Mender quickly butted in, being careful to watch Cynnil's face for confirmation. "But if he fails we will still bring him to Seeker's." _I'll get him there myself if I have to._

The hidden runner nodded. "Of course."

The two fastrunners shared a look and a nod before again turning their focus on their son. It was Pearl that finally spoke.

"Just remember, dear, that we are proud of you no matter what happens." Despite Orchid's embarrassment she insisted on embracing him. It was then that Mender noticed the oddest thing. A knowing glance between Cynnil and the female fastrunner. "And remember that in the Mysterious Beyond you have to think in many ways to outsmart your foes. Only the ground fuzzy who thinks like a flyer can avoid the flyer's grasp."

It was then that Orchid pulled away and gave his mother a look. This was followed by him giving Cynnil a look.

 _I'm definitely missing something,_ Mender thought, _and I don't like it._

"You are in on this, Mom?!" Orchid accused.

Pearl merely looked at her mate and snorted.

"You too, Dad?!"

Pearl and Detras both gave their son knowing smirks before his father answered. "I wasn't going to let any of you go on a journey without being trained. So I will be damned before I let you go with _a pack_ without a proper test." he crossed his arms with satisfaction. "Who do you think told them all about the hole?"

Mender rolled her eyes. _And I still don't know why you did that. While a bit of a death trap, it wasn't the worst hiding place you could send small guests._

Cynnil clasped her hands on the candidate pack member. "Alright, Orchid, no more hints. You will have until the rise of the Bright Circle tomorrow to complete your task. If you succeed then you will be our newest member, but if you fail then you can be as you are now." She pulled away leaving the fastrunner with his parents as she gestured for her packmates to join her. But as Mender quickened her pace she did spare the young fastrunner two words in a hushed whisper.

"Good luck."

* * *

 **The past:**

"I just don't know what to tell him, you know?" Littlefoot muttered to his mate as he ripped into another fish, "Thud made the offer out of kindness, thinking that one larger pack will do better than two smaller ones. But from what he told me… it seems to have caused some problems."

Ruby looked at Littlefoot with some concern, "He told you about the conversation?"

Littlefoot shook his head immediately, which caused some fish entrails to smack his mate in her head. After an apologetic nod, Littlefoot answered her, "No, but he did tell me that Tracker gave him a bit of a tongue-lashing."

Ruby rubbed the fish blood off of her head and licked the delicious substance from her hand, "That is very unlike Tracker. Tracker usually is very nice and calm."

The brown fastbiter sighed, "Yeah… that tells me that the pack is not taking their decision well. Maybe it would have been kinder for us to simply tell them to leave?"

Ruby smiled at her mate and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Postponing a choice does not make the choice any easier. They would have to decide to remain a pack of three or to join another sooner or later. Thud just made the day come sooner."

"Yeah… I know. It's just…" Littlefoot's eyes then focused into the distance as a familiar blue form appeared in the bushes, "Dear, I think that we may have a visitor.."

Ruby went alert and looked back, before her expression became relaxed again, "Dear, I think this visitor is meant for you," she smiled as she took the fish from earlier and flicked some entrails into her mate's face, a playful act of retaliation, "We can talk later."

Littlefoot smiled, "Thanks, Dear." Within moments the two had nuzzled and Ruby had sprinted back in the direction of the stream. Leaving Littlefoot alone as Dodger got within vocal range.

"Welcome, Dodger. Is there something on your mind?"

 _Um, everything._ Dodger just nodded an affirmative until he could figure out what he should say. "My pack's discussion isn't really getting anywhere quickly." He sighed in frustration, unable to bring himself to speak of exactly what was bothering him so badly. "I could use some help."

Littlefoot nodded solemnly as he gestured to where his mate had been sitting earlier. With her scent still on the site, it was obvious the significance of his kind gesture.

Dodger took the offered position awkwardly, unsure if he really should do that. _Are you sure this is okay?_

"My mate is catching some fish by the stream," Littlefoot neglected to mention that it was Dodger's obvious distress that had caused her to take her leave, "In the meantime we can talk. So the discussion isn't going well?"

"Violet's panicking, and I honestly don't know what to do about anything. I'm probably just making it worse," Dodger replied. _More like definitely making it worse._

Littlefoot nodded, "It is a big decision for her. She has to choose where she is to go from here on out… not a decision to be made lightly," he shook his head, "I still remember when we were forced from the valley. It was one of the most traumatic events of our lives."

"I imagine it would be. Even if you were used to being fastbiters, having your own families trying to kill you... " Dodger just shook his head, disturbed by such thoughts. _You're supposed to be able to count on your family. To lose that… I don't want to even imagine it._

"I hope that you don't misunderstand us, Dodger. If these lands would support a larger pack then that would be one thing, but I have to think of the future. Eventually eggs will come, and with them more mouths to feed," he gave a sad smile, "I have to think of my own pack first."

"Since I expected to not survive the night we met, I can't exactly argue with being asked to leave," Dodger said. His face suddenly turned angry. "If you see Prowler, please make sure he doesn't survive the encounter. I can forgive him leaving me, but Violet?" _Assuming she didn't run into Seeker's pack and been killed, she would have starved to death._

Littlefoot nodded, "I was tempted after you told us your tale to have Spotter pay him a visit. It only would take a little Orange Death to resolve that problem," he looked away from Dodger for a moment as Littlefoot appeared to contemplate the Bright Circle, "But, of course, you know what root that is now."

 _I definitely should start running._ Dodger couldn't stop himself from tensing. It didn't occur to him to reply. He was already figuring out the best way back to his packmates and out of the territory.

"You see, Dodger? All packs must think of their own first. I would expect no less from any pack leader," Littlefoot glanced back at him with a mostly unreadable expression, except for kind eyes, "Right before Tracker sounded the alert, Leap had noticed her looking at the plant," he stated matter-of-factly.

Dodger couldn't keep his mouth from hanging open in shock. Neither in his home pack nor as part of Prowler's would such a potential act of rebellion or hostility not been confronted with extreme force. _I should be dead several times over, apparently._

"It makes sense that a pack would want to know where such a powerful thing could be found. That is why we keep close watch over our supplies.. and took the step of destroying those plants in other places around here," he smiled, though his eyes had a bit of a devious glint, "We don't want others to have our advantage and use it against us."

 _Okay, so why am I still alive?_ Dodger couldn't help but tense more and solidify his escape plan, should it prove necessary. He even tried to figure exactly how to go about taking down the fasbiter in front of him. _This could go wrong in so many ways. There's got to be a way out of this._

"You are a pack leader, Dodger, and a good one, whether you believe that or not. You wanted to gain a powerful weapon that would protect your pack and even its odds despite its small numbers… and right now you are calculating the best way to fight me off or to escape with your packmates, because that is what a good pack leader does," he gave a slight nod, "You can relax, by the way. If I had thought that you had intended my pack any harm then we would not be having this conversation right now."

Dodger slowly forced himself to relax. _If it wouldn't start a real fight I'd be tempted to hit you for that._ As much as he respected Littlefoot, giving Dodger the impression that his packmates were under threat was making it hard for him to be anything other than angry at the other pack leader.

"But what if it wasn't me tricking you into being afraid and angry, but rather another pack? Then it would be up to the three of you to fight or flee. You have been lucky thus far, but that luck may not last forever," Littlefoot's expression turned serious as he continued his mostly one-sided conversation, "Securing a safe territory might be the best bet for a small pack, but you also have the option of not being in such a small pack anymore. You mentioned that Violet was panicking, but yet you have not told me why she was panicking. Why do _**you**_ think she is panicked right now?"

"She doesn't know what to do. She's spent her whole life having me either guiding or outright telling her what to do. Now she's got the biggest decision of her life up to this point, and she has to make that decision herself. I gave up my right to tell her what to do outside of being a pack leader when I pronounced her an adult." The last Dodger added to convince himself to not interfere as much as explain to Littlefoot why he was stepping back from Violet's decision.

Littlefoot nodded, having understood that aspect of the issue, "And which part of her decision do you think she is having the most difficulty with?"

"It seems to be all of it. She thinks that if she stays with Tracker and myself she'll have to leave eventually anyway. I'd love to know where she got that notion. As for choosing another pack, she seems torn between going with Thud or asking to stay here. I take it there might be a problem with that," Dodger explained, or at least tried to.

Littlefoot did not change his expression, "And which part of her possible decision would _**you**_ have the most difficulty with?"

"Frankly I'm concerned about her leaving. If she doesn't feel I can keep her even remotely safe, I understand." _Not really._ "I'm just concerned about how safe she'd be with others, some of whom don't really know her at all." _Like the fact that patience is needed lest she feel like she is going to be hurt for a minor infraction. On second thought, Seeker, please just hold on to Prowler and alert me. I'll kill him myself._

"Have you considered that the reason that she is so conflicted might be that she wants you and Tracker to be kept safe?" he looked directly into Dodger's eyes, "She may want to go her own way… or be considering it at least… but she doesn't want to leave you two in the event that you decide to go on your own. I don't know her as well as you, not even close, but I do know that she doesn't regret having you as her protector."

"How would you know that?" Dodger asked, careful to keep his voice neutral.

Littlefoot rolled his eyes, "Oh, for the love of sanity, Dodger, do you see the way she looks up to you? I think if you were to criticize her to any degree that she would be upset for days. She may have seen some other possibilities lately, her possibilities as an adult, but this doesn't mean that she is prepared to cast you all aside," his eyes turned a bit more sympathetic, "I wonder… if a bit of a hybrid solution might be best for everyone." he muttered without realizing that he had said that aloud.

"Hybrid?" Dodger asked, mulling over the unfamiliar word, "What do you mean by that?"

Littlefoot froze, "Um… well a hybrid is like… when I was a longneck you would sometimes see other longneck kinds come into the valley. But every once in awhile you would see one who was a mix of both kinds, because the kinds were close enough to…" he shook his head, "Anyway… what I meant was that there might be a way to do a mix between the options."

"How so?" Dodger asked.

Littlefoot sighed. He was unsure if Thud would agree to it, but he supposed that it wouldn't hurt to mention the possibility, "The reason why Thud is so willing to let all of you in is.. well, for one you are all trustworthy, but secondly… he needs more members in order to be safe against larger packs. But that is only really necessary during the Dry Times," he put a claw against his beak, "Perhaps you could agree to follow Thud's pack during the Dry Times, but defend your own little territory beside his during the Wet Times?"

 _That seems a bit over-complicated, and it's not going to help Violet. If she follows Thud, Tracker and I will follow out of necessity. If she stays with Seeker, my actions will be the same._ "That's worth considering, but I'm not sure how much that will help Violet." _Especially since she seems biased towards your pack, Seeker._

"If she is fearful about making a choice that she will regret, then this will give her an opportunity to see both possibilities," _while also keeping Thud's pack safe,_ Littlefoot thought to himself, "It might make a final choice later on much easier. Though well… the transfers from his pack to your pack might be a little awkward."

Dodger gave Littlefoot an inquisitive look, confused as how such a reversion would be awkward.

Littlefoot sighed, "Let's just say that when Dein took over for awhile during our training it was a bit odd for me. We sometimes don't realize our egos until we have them challenged."

Littlefoot suddenly took on a contemplative expression. "But I am not free to put words in Thud's mouth, so I cannot promise that he would agree to a compromise, but I guess it is worth a try. It would help both of your packs in your time of need, without permanently sealing your paths. If nothing else, it might allow Violet to breath a little easier."

"It might," Dodger agreed, "I have to ask on her behalf, though, what would happen if she wished to stay? If she wished to step away from me entirely I know she'd feel better around those that she knows." _One conversation aside, she barely knows Thud's name. I doubt she knows Leap beyond his name, and I'd be shocked if she even knows Swift's name._

"If she wanted to stay with us until your pack came by again, then she would be welcome to do so. No one in my pack would have any objections," Littlefoot spoke softly, "If you two joined Thud's pack then that return would be in about six cycles of the Night Circle if Thud keeps to his usual custom… but if you kept to yourselves then we would welcome about that time."

"I know that couldn't be permanent," Dodger replied. _As much as I know Violet might wish it could be_ , he mentally added. "My one concern is that Violet can't leave on her own. Her sniffer doesn't allow her to do that." _Which ultimately leaves the pack leader in complete control of her…_

Littlefoot nodded, "That is something that she will have to realize. If she stays here, or goes to Thud's pack, then she would be bound to that pack until the next… um… transition. I know it would not be an ideal solution, but it might be worth a try," Littlefoot shifted kind of awkwardly, "Just out of curiosity, is there anything in particular that Violet has mentioned as a reason she is considering joining another pack? Besides the possibility of her pack joining with a larger one, I mean?"

"I'm honestly not sure. I'm having trouble figuring out what she wants. She actually asked me what Tracker and I were doing. Unfortunately I, at least, was intending on knowing what Violet was doing first before considering what Tracker and I should do. If she goes with you or Thud we'd join Thud's pack. I'm not putting Tracker in danger for no good reason," Dodger replied, sounding tired as he reached the end.

"I suppose that could be why she wanted to know what you two are doing first. She wants to make sure you two are safe, but if you two are already joining a bigger pack then she can be sure that you will be okay, regardless of what she chooses," Littlefoot pondered.

"I'll talk to Tracker and see if she wants to do that regardless of what Violet chooses," Dodger said, "If that helps Violet I guess I can figure that much out. Someone needs to talk to Violet, though, so she knows where she stands. Someone that knows both your pack and Thud's. One thing I noticed that was bothering her was how little she knew about what each choice would entail." _And no, I'm not repeating what she said. You'd never be able to look at her the same way again._

Littlefoot shifted awkwardly, "Perhaps one of us should talk to Haven or Ponder…"

* * *

 _What was I thinking? Never mind the fact that he's currently my pack leader, Dodger's my brother. Why do I keep saying stuff and make things worse?_ Violet was not having a good day. She'd slipped up talking with Tracker earlier and more recently made what appeared to be a much bigger mistake with her brother.

 _How am I supposed to fix this? He's got to be really mad. Saying anything would have been better than just walking away._ Violet's attempts to calm herself had failed after Tracker couldn't come up with something reassuring to say. _How can I even think about joining another pack when I can't even stay out of trouble in the one I'm in?_

"Are you alright, Violet?"

"Haven? W-what are you doing here?" Violet asked. _Wow, that was rude._ "Um, I mean... " She glanced away from Ducky, not even noticing the other fastbiter's already concerned expression. _I can't do anything right today, can I?_

"Dodger told me that you might want someone to talk to right now. Otherwise I would not interrupt you," Ducky stopped as she got within a body-length of Violet, "But if you don't want to talk right now then I can go. I just want to make sure that you are alright."

"Is he still mad?" Violet asked hesitantly, afraid of the answer.

Ducky frowned as she took that as an invitation to sit down, "He did not seem mad to me, nope, nope, nope. But he did seem tired and scared."

"We are talking about Dodger, right?" Violet asked, nearly shocked out of her oncoming depression by Ducky's words, "Dodger's not scared of anything."

Ducky shrugged slightly, "He seemed scared for you. I didn't know what was going on until he and Seeker told me. Potentially joining another pack is certainly a scary thing. It is a big decision," she tilted her head, "You thought that he was mad at you? I take it that there was a disagreement?"

"I snapped at him right before he left," Violet admitted. She could smell the scent of her own embarrassment quite strongly. She was surprised Ducky could even breath if what she was smelling was this strong; it had to be much worse for her friend.

Ducky did not mention the scent out of respect for her friend's feelings, "Sometimes even friends can snap at one another when things get tough. I remember snapping at Finder more than a few times even when I was a swimmer… but the important thing is how we go from there," she tilted her head in an inquisitive manner, "Did you two disagree on what you were going to do?"

"We didn't even get a chance to discuss anything. I asked what they were doing. He said talking about it would be a bit problematic. I responded disrespectfully. He left without even saying anything to me," Violet explained, sounding sadder as she continued, "He never does that. Sometimes I might end up getting a lecture that lasts until the Bright Circle rises the next day, but he never just walks away."

"Perhaps that is because what you said was not worthy of a lecture?" Ducky noted, "You are an adult now, Violet, and sometimes adults disagree and have misunderstandings. Dodger can't really criticize you for being upset about making a choice when he also hasn't made a choice yet."

"I still shouldn't have said it." Violet finally registered the last of what Ducky said. "He hasn't made a choice yet? Really? Did he say why?"

Ducky smiled sadly, "It is a big choice, Violet. I imagine that it is something that he needs to talk to Tracker about. If his sister wants to go elsewhere then he will have to decide if a pack of two is manageable," she hesitantly went closer and put a hand on Violet's shoulder, "Have you made a choice yet?"

"No. I don't know what to do. I want Dodger and Tracker to be safe more than anything. Even if I knew they were safe I still don't know anything about Thud's pack. And I don't know if you guys would let me stay here even for a little bit," Violet said more calmly than she thought she could.

"So you would want to spend some more time with us?" Ducky asked, noting the lukewarm response to Thud's pack, and the uncertainty about the possibility of joining Seeker's pack. It seemed as if Violet had shown her hand, even if she didn't realize her choice.

"Um, well, yes," Violet said, almost stumbling over the words. _I can't hide anything, can I? The truth always comes out._

Ducky nodded, "Seeker mentioned that he would have no objections, but the question is what Tracker and Dodger will choose to do? We don't mind visitors during the Wet Times, but we can't afford to have them during the Dry Times," Ducky looked at Violet with a sympathetic expression, "We could stay here for at least six cycles of the Night Circle before you would see them again. Would you be alright for that span of time?"

"I guess I would. I've never been away from Dodger that long before," Violet replied, "I would've starved before even the first cycle was through."

Ducky was suddenly assaulted with memories from her original conversation with Tracker. Her mentioning of her relative helplessness put Tracker's protectiveness into sharp focus.

"Well, you are not the same fastbiter you were a mere cycle of the Night Circle ago. You now know how to hunt with a pack, and you are a healer-in-training. Never think that you are useless, Violet; any of us would be in rough shape if we had to fend for ourselves," he looked at Violet intensely, "If that is your true desire, Violet, to say with us for at least a while, then we will honor your request. In fact, I would consider it an honor. But there may be something that you could do that would make your brother feel better."

"What would that be?" Violet asked, an odd mixture of hesitant and eager.

Ducky smiled, "I think that your brother might be feeling a bit unsure of himself. I think hearing the choice from his own sister would make him feel better about it. It would also be a nice way for you to remind him of what he has done for you," she patted her on the shoulder, "The fact that you may be walking away for a while is not a sign that you are ungrateful; it is a sign that he has succeeded in ensuring his sister grew to adulthood. I think that would take a great weight off of his shoulders."

"It might give him a chance to relax, too," Violet said humorously, "According to Thud I shouldn't have lived even this long."

Ducky jerked back, horrified, "He said what?!"

"Um, nothing," Violet said, shrinking back, fearing she'd just landed herself in trouble again, "Forget I said anything."

Ducky sighed, "No, Violet. Tell me exactly what he said. Did he honestly suggest that you shouldn't be alive?"

"No. He just said he'd never seen a smell-blind fastbiter my age before. Apparently quite a few packs think my parents should've killed me." _It's probably a good thing Dodger wasn't with me when Thud said that. That might have gone really badly._

Ducky immediately relaxed, "Heh… you see, Violet? When people are over-protective sometimes they do stupid things. I was just about to give Thud a piece of my mind," she then laughed slightly, "I guess Dodger doesn't have anything to fear with you here. I can over-react just as badly as he can!"

"Just don't get too good at sneaking, please," Violet said, "Dodger always made a point of showing up upwind of me, not that it really helped me, but it always scared me a bit how easy he can disappear."

Ducky rolled her eyes, "Reminds me of Taunt. He has a tendency to show up when you least expect him," she then changed her expression to a welcoming and comforting smile, "Well, Violet, are you ready to talk to you brother? I know it is not an easy decision that you have made, but waiting isn't going to make saying your decision any easier."

Violet took several deep calming breaths. "I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be." _Meaning I'm on the verge of fainting or running in the exact opposite direction screaming in terror._ "I hope."

Ducky patted her on the shoulder again as she rose to her feet, "You will do fine. Once you have made your choice then Dodger and Tracker can make theirs," Ducky hesitated for a moment, "And Violet?"

"Yes?"

Ducky smiled, "Welcome to the pack."

* * *

 **The present:**

The fastrunner struggled to keep his wits about him as he ran from his pursuers. Though he could not see them he knew that they had to be there… somewhere.

He jumped over the boulder as he slid down the silt of the stream, only to make a beeline straight towards his target. There was no reason to hide his scent in this mission. The enemy already knew where he was.

It was only when his goal was in sight that he permitted himself to catch his breath. Immediately he went about carrying out his new plan. Perhaps the fourth time would be the charm?

 _Oh, you've got to be kidding me. Orchid, you're not going to make things easier from starting farther from the original hole than your previous attempts,_ Mender thought in frustration even as she moved to make herself further hidden.

Orchid looked up, as if he heard something, before quickly continuing to work. His grunts of exertion were soon being replaced with groans of frustration as his attempt to make a new hole proved to be slow going. But how else was he going to get around Cynnil's strict instruction to not use the existing hole?

 _Come on, Orchid. Think this through,_ Mender silently encouraged, _I can give you some time, but even if I fell asleep watching you someone else will find you soon._

It was then that Mender her slight movement behind her.

She glanced back to see Cynnil looking at her sadly. _I guess time's up,_ Mender thought somewhat mournfully, _Sorry Orchid._ She reluctantly moved forward to pursue Orchid.

* * *

As Orchid sat back down on Hanging Rock he was of conflicted emotions. Even though he was on one of the highest points in his parents' territory he had never felt so low. He was so close… he could almost taste it. But all of his efforts had been in vain.

And he was soon running out of daylight.

 _I am going to fail. Not only am I going to fail, but I will have kept the pack up most of the night just for me to make a fool of myself._

He sighed sadly.

 _Maybe Nahoda was right._

"Everyone's back in position if you want to try again," Mender said, moving to sit beside him, "You've still got time."

Orchid nodded. "I'm still missing something. I guess I'm just not looking at it the right way."

"That would describe much of my life," Mender replied with a chuckle, "Try thinking about what you haven't tried yet. It might help."

Orchid considered this advice. "It is not so easy to consider things with a time limit. Or when you have a bunch of sneakers and biters under orders to chase me and then only give me a few moments to try anything." He groaned. "What was the purpose of this again? To think differently and to face my fear? Well you are seeing it. I hate to fail."

"Better to fail now than when it'll get you killed," Mender said, "Just keep trying. Right now you only fail if you give up, Orchid."

Orchid snorted. "Or if the Bright Circle greets me before success does. I wonder how to look at this… I tried to look at it from Screech's perspective." He shuddered at the memory of the childhood terror. "But that isn't enough… I wonder how Cynnil sees this?"

 _Now you're getting it, Orchid. Try something you haven't already._ Mender couldn't help but smile as she got up and left the fastrunner alone again. _Good luck, Orchid. Soon maybe I will be able to say the words that Haven once said to me._

The fastrunner sighed as he began to pace. Much like his now carnivorous older sister he tried to make Hanging Rock his thinking place. "What could I be missing? Cynnil said that the purpose was to face my fear and to challenge my fears… but what did Mom say?"

He looked over at the location of the cavern where his parents were surely sleeping. The fact that his mother had helped with this meant that her words to him were meant as a hint. But what was it that she said…

 _And remember that in the Mysterious Beyond you have to think in many ways to outsmart your foes. Only the ground fuzzy who thinks like a flyer can avoid the flyer's grasp._

Orchid shook his head. "Well I'm the ground fuzzy in that riddle, and the flyer would be Mender and the hidden runners. I already have tried to think like a fastbiter and that did not work so what if I…"

His eyes went wide as a smile suddenly appeared on his face. "Of course! It's so obvious!"

As he sprinted off into the distance he did not see his parents watch from their usual sleeping space in the nearby bluffs.

"Took him five attempts, and not six. It looks like I owe you a fish, my dear."

Pearl smiled. "He still has to outrun the pack."

Detras stretched widely before he returned her smile. "Trust me, Dear. Somehow I think this is a challenge they want him to win."

* * *

Buse nearly fell over his own feet as the fastrunner sprinted away from him. Before Orchid had been running as if he were being chased, but now he ran with all of the certainty of a predator.

Like he had his target firmly selected.

As a barked hiss emanated from behind him he broke off his pursuit and waited until Orchid was either captured or pursuing his return mission.

He smiled. _Looks like only one more chase tonight. Good, I'm tired._

* * *

Orchid leapt over the hole of the old cavern as he focused on the object he needed. Something that would provide what his own meager claws could not.

The remnants of a horn.

He forced down the feeling of disgust as he took the remnants of what had once been a threehorn youngling and secured it in his hands. To solve this puzzle he would have to have the mind of a hidden runner and the heart of a fastbiter.

Now it was time for the hidden runner to come out.

He carefully positioned his body over where the end of the tunnel would be. It was hard to believe that a mere body length below him was the small cavern that had saved him and his sister from Screech's claws. He knew now that he was lucky that Screech only thought in the directness of his kind.

Orchid raised the horn.

With swift and brutal strikes he tore into the rock. He had not initially noticed the small cracks that heralded the weakness in the stone. But now he was looking at it with Cynnil's eyes. With grunts of exertion he continued his assault on the impediment below him.

When his arm sunk into the ground he nearly jumped in terror.

 _I'm in? I'm in!_

With a swift bite to his own arm he plucked out one of his feathers and dropped it into the now exposed tunnel.

His victorious shout echoed across the land.

* * *

 _You just had to shout, didn't you?_ Mender thought, grinning despite her current exertions. She and her packmates were currently pursuing Orchid. _Can you really call it pursuing if you're not trying to catch what you're following? Well, at least I'm not. Buse just looks like he's trying not to be left behind._

Buse gasped for air as Cynnil struggled to keep up as well. Despite having no difficulty catching him in the previous encounters he was giving the hidden runners quite the struggle.

And the only one who could catch him had no intentions of doing so.

With a pained grunt Orchid leapt and landed on the base of Hanging Rock before steadily climbing its height. It was only when he reached its peak and could see the territory around him that he finally collapsed into an exhausted heap.

He didn't notice that the others had slowed to a walk long before.

 _Well done, Orchid,_ Mender thought, only slightly less tired than her companions, _I hope leaving your family isn't as messy as when I left mine_.

It was then that she noticed that her pack were not the only ones present. Walking slowly behind, but seemingly keeping their distance, were four other fastbiters. The almost regal looking elder fastrunners who wore smiles of pride for their son, and the youthful faces of Arial and her mate. Their intentional keeping of distance had an obvious meaning.

 _You are part of their pack now. You are one of them._

"Orchid."

 _You earned this,_ Mender mentally congratulated her friend, _You might be exhausted, but you did great. Hopefully Cynnil will let us all sleep now._ She shifted her gaze from Cynnil approaching Orchid to Buse nearly asleep on his feet. _As much as Taunt would want me to push him over..._ Instead she nudged her friend awake but didn't bother to hide a chuckle at the hidden runner's startelement.

Cynnil assisted Orchid to his feet as the fastrunner finally permitted himself to look at the assembled crowd. His face shined with elation for a moment, before turning slightly melancholy as he saw his parents keeping themselves somewhat behind. Now it finally hit him.

He was part of the pack.

"I will not ask you to forsake your old name, Orchid, as that is part of your family and your family is part of you. But it is the custom in fastbiter packs to take a new name. And our pack is part fastbiter." She tilted her head.

"Mender?"

 _I can't tell if she's trying to honor me or drive me crazy,_ Mender thought, _I hadn't even thought about this._ "Yes, Cynnil?" she asked neutrally, betraying none of her confusion.

"The naming custom is that a sharptooth with a pack name gives a new name to the new packmate, is that true?"

Orchid looked at Mender with more than a fair bit of confusion. It was obvious that he had not expected this.

"Well, Seeker did give me my name, and if I remember correctly Path gave him his..." Mender trailed off, trying to recall what she'd been told years ago.

"It is not a fastrunner custom to get new names upon joining a pack, but then again it is not a custom for fastrunners to join packs." Cynnil smiled. "So let's get this custom started… Orchid arise."

Hesitantly Orchid rose to his feet, as his family looked on. It was only now that he realized that the pack.. His pack… had gathered around him in a circle.

"Today you have passed your challenge, and unlike any other fastrunner before you have joined a pack not out of necessity, but of your own free will. Perhaps Fate has ordained it," Cynnil intoned.

Mender couldn't help but roll her eyes. _I might ask my ancestors for help sometimes, but Cynnil still hasn't explained this Fate thing._

"Today you have truly become one with our pack and have earned your new name. A name suitable for our pack."

Then there was silence for several moments as Cynnil gestured for Mender to take her place. Now the time of naming had come.

Mender hesitantly stepped forward, her eyes now firmly fixed on the new packmate. She struggled to hide her nervousness, but a slight twitch in her tail gave it away. Now the sacred duty had fallen upon her for the first time. A duty normally given to pack leaders.

She had no idea how to proceed.

"What scares you most about getting a new name, Orchid?" Mender forced out as if she were projecting her own fears upon him.

Orchid swallowed. "I fear losing what I was. What my parents have given me."

 _It seems Staza had a similar fear,_ Mender thought, _Wait... That gives me an idea!_

"Your new name shall reflect your old self in a new light. You shall be called, Rarqhax."

Orchid's eyes went wide as he tried to comprehend how he was even going to pronounce the word.

"Or…" Mender said with a smile. "You can simply use the sharptooth translation of that hidden runner word."

Orchid looked bewildered as he tried to silently pronounce the word. "And what is that?"

"Orchid."

As the two hidden runners began to chuckle at the fastrunner's bemused expression as it went from confusion, to annoyance, and then to amusement and relief, Mender took the opportunity to say something that was long overdue.

"Welcome to the pack."

* * *

 **Thanks for the reviews, everyone! Before I respond to your reviews I figured it would be appropriate to point something else about this chapter and how this story has been developed. This story as I am sure you are aware by now began its life as a roleplay, which form the basis of the past scenes. Thus far we have been lucky to have a nice flow in the past scenes that still reads like a story, but in this chapter we have encountered the first instance where an overly long (in my opinion) piece of dialogue could not be truncated or excised without removing important context. The Taunt/Dodger conversation simply needed to take place. I am sure this odd bit of pacing will be noticeable to some of you, and I just wanted you all to know that it did not escape our attention. If any of you decide to use the "roleplay into story" method just keep in mind this one potential weakness. It is something that Historian and I will be more cautious about in the future.  
**

 **As always I would like to thank my co-author, Historian1912, and our beta-reader, Nimbus01 for their contributions to this chapter. **

**bryan mccloud :** Oh, the rainbowfaces have most certainly screwed up a bit with showing fire to their children at this point. We will find out in the next chapter a bir of their reasoning but if the knowledge of fire leaks out then it can change everything. I wonder what the agricultural revolution would look like with dinosaurs... hmm...

 **gordhanx :** Thank you for the detailed response. (: I am glad that you found the training to not be boring as that was one of my major concerns when I was looking over those scenes. Historian and I tried to make sure that those scenes flowed well and contributed to the overall narrative. I hope that we have succeeded in doing the same with this chapter, but I am still a bit concerned. There are always bound to be pacing concerns when a roleplay is modified for the purposes of a story.

 **Nimbus01 :** I am glad to hear that you feel that both storylines now carry equal weight. It was a lingering concern for me that the present story would begin to appear to be a minor point to the past story, when the present story needs to shine for the shake of the overall narrative of the story. And, not to spoil anything, you are quite like about the events now being the sparks that ignite bigger fires later on. And that is not just a fire pun...

 **keijo6 :** Mender does indeed slowly change from the insecure Violet to her more confident adult self, but one can still see the original Violet there. Some of that social awkwardness will never go away. d-; But I can certainly understand why Violet's personality might be a bit annoying due to the insecurity. But, as it has been said, a long journey begins with a single step. As for the Ovie storyline... we will see how the connects soon enough. I look forward to your thoughts about this chapter and the overall pacing.

 **Thanks, everyone! I look forward to hearing your thoughts and suggestions!**


	18. Chapter 16 (p1): A Path Crossed

**-v-**

 **Chapter 16: A Path crossed (Part 1)**

" _ **There is no crossing more perilous than the crossing into the unknown. Sometimes the specters of what could be are more troublesome than what is."**_

 **Consortium cadet training manual,**

 **Preface to lesson 475**

* * *

" _Mom…"_

 _Pearl did not hesitate to hug her daughter as the emotions of the moment finally hit them both. The time had finally come - the time for her children to go off on their own._

 _The time for them to live lives of their own._

" _You'll do fine, dear. Just remember to have a flyer talk to your parents every once in a while."_

 _Arial wiped her eyes. "I'm sure Seeker and my sister will insist on that. You stay safe out here…"_

 _The elder fastrunner smiled. "We will be fine, dear. Hanging Rock will be a bit lonelier, but it is still home. I will be glad to know that your new home is with our friends."_

Pearl sighed as the memories of that morning again made themselves known in her mind. It was odd how the most momentous moments often passed like a flyer in the wind, but their echoes seemed to carry on for ages. She did not need to be told that this day would stand out in her mind for as long as she lived.

"It is hard to believe that they are gone."

Pearl looked over at her mate as he stared at the bare portions of the sleeping area. Arial's place had not been used in days to account of her mate, but both of them could imagine their children's feathered forms there just like in their youngling days. Days that had now passed into the realm of memories.

"But they are not gone really. Now they are like Ruby," Pearl noted as she joined her mate in looking at the bare spots, "Away, but still with us." She clutched her chest to emphasise her point.

There was companionable silence for several moments. As she looked into her mate's eyes, she found herself wondering what he might be thinking about.

* * *

" _I promise that I will take care of her, sir."_

 _Detras nodded at the young fastrunner's affirmation and resisted saying anything as Arial proceeded to sneak up behind him with Mender looking on with an approving smile._

" _I'm sure that she will be safe with her friends, and because of the training you insisted on. Thank you very… hey!"_

 _Arial ended up tackling her father as Nahoda dove at the last moment. Out of instinct Detras permitted himself to buckle to avoid injury. Though he ended up with a concerned Mender and a petrified Nahoda hovering above them._

" _Sir, I'm so sorry… I should have…"_

 _He never got to finish that thought as the two collapsed fastrunners began laughing hysterically. This only seemed to make Nahoda even more concerned as Mender tilted her head._

" _Well at least the training appears to have paid off!" Detras bellowed with amusement as Arial went back to her feet. That was when he gave a wink to the fastrunner behind the apologetic male. "But Nahoda?"_

" _Yes… sir?"_

 _As Orchid playfully tackled the oblivious male as Arial pumped her arm in triumph, he allowed himself an approving smile._

" _Remember that in life the lessons never end."_

"Well we were afraid of her ending up with a tail-chaser, but I think he is alright."

Detras did not have to wait long for his mate's groan to reach his ears and for her hand to nudge his side.

"Admit it, dear. You were far harder on him than was necessary."

Detras turned around with a tilted head. "Would you expect any less? The Mysterious Beyond is a rough place."

This earned him a playful glare before Pearl turned her focus to her son's old sleeping spot. His parting was one of the most complicated.

" _Mom… Dad..."_

 _Pearl reacted immediately and hugged her son, either being oblivious to, or not caring about, her son's attempt to keep things formal. He may have been a pack member now, but to her he would always be her son._

 _Finally she broke the embrace and Detras could notice that his son was struggling to keep his composure. Unlike his mate he would try to keep his son's dignity._

" _Son…" He gave a respectful nod as he placed his body a short distance away. Too close for formality, but far enough to indicate distance._

" _Dad." Orchid's eyes were gleaming with emotion, but his face was forced into respectful formality. Detras knew this look. It was the look he had seen when his son tried to impress his father in the past._

 _There was no need to do this now. He had already succeeded in winning his father's approval._

" _You are quite possibly the first fastrunner to willingly join a pack, son. That is quite the accomplishment." He allowed himself to gesture at the hidden runners and violet fastbiter in the distance. "But now you will have the adventure of your life. You will have to take on duties that nothing I have taught you can prepare you for, but I think that you are ready."_

 _If Orchid was emotional before, now he wasn't hiding it. Detras wasn't much better off._

" _Just do me one favor, son."_

 _Orchid nearly choked as he answered. "What's that, Dad?"_

 _Detras smiled. "When you finally find yourself a nice female, make sure that you don't give your kids hidden runner names; it might give them the wrong idea."_

" _Dad!" Orchid took a playful swipe as Detras chuckled at his son's expense. It seemed like his son would take longer before he decided to carry on his species. But he had no doubts that when that time came that his son would be an excellent father._

" _Goodbye, my son. Remember us."_

Detras sighed. "It is odd to have an empty nest. It has been so long."

"Since we were much younger fastrunners," Pearl affirmed, "I was so much pinker then, and you were much…"

"Less wrinkled and scarred?" Detras offered with amusement.

Pearl's eyes twinkled mischievously. "And less observant. I seem to remember someone being as lost as Nahoda when we first met."

Detras placed his hands on his hips, though his glare was playful. "I think there are blind ground fuzzies that are more observant than Nahoda, dear."

Pearl snorted. "Still being hard on our daughter's mate, dear?" She began to walk to her sleeping area, her face turned from him. "A bit hypocritical. After all you seem to be missing quite a bit right now."

Detras was now indignant. "Like what?" _What are you talking about, Pearl?_

He was answered by the remnants of a scaly swimmer smacking him in the face.

"Like for one we need to get this place clean if we are going to build a new nest."

Detras froze. "A new nest?"

Pearl merely gave him a coy look. "We have raised three children to their Time of Growing, dear, and two of them are still the right kind." She added the last words with a smirk as she thought of Ruby. "When the Wet Season comes we could try again…"

Detras tilted his head at his mate. "And all of the trouble that our spawn has caused in that time hasn't taught you anything?"

Pearl tossed her mate a remnant of a snapping shell as she replied. "Not a thing. What have you learned?"

Detras smirked as he quickly joined in to Pearl's cleaning. "Enough not to contradict you when you set your mind to something."

Pearl's laugh was intoxicating. "I wonder how long it will take for Nahoda to learn that lesson?"

* * *

"My mother once told me that they considered Rockslide for my name. Can you imagine that?"

"Why did they consider that name?" Nahoda questioned, totally oblivious to the subtext.

"Oh, I don't know," Arial continued, "I mean there are many better names for fastrunner children, don't you think? Like Swiftfeet, Wind, Gust, Sprintshot…"

"I must admit that I never thought much about names. My parents never even told me how they chose mine," Nahoda offered.

"Names are very important," Arial affirmed. "It is certainly something both parents should discuss beforehand. Like, for example, Topaz. Topaz sounds like a good name, don't you agree?"

 _Arial, are you absolutely sure you don't want me to eat Nahoda and find you a smarter mate?_ Mender thought as she listened to her companions discuss possible names for children. Or rather Arial was listing possible names and Nahoda didn't seem to realize that they were even discussing that particular topic.

"Buse bet me a fish that he doesn't get it until Arial points it out," Orchid's voice suddenly whispered from behind her, "Are we permitted to bet in the pack?"

"I bet you two that he freaks out at the idea once she tells him," Mender replied, deciding to create a little wager of her own.

Orchid pondered this for a moment as he continued to watch the exchange. "I don't make bets I can't win. You know he will panic. This is Nahoda we are talking about."

"You win if he figures it out first even if he panics," Mender explained, "You in?" _If I lose I'm out three. Buse is never going to catch anything with how little time Cynnil lets us stop when we have somewhere to be._

Orchid smiled. "I'm in."

The two continued to watch the exchange, as Buse and Cynnil watched from some distance away. Only Cynnil was successful in hiding her interest.

"Brackus was my grandfather's name, supposedly. Who would name a fastrunner that? That would be like naming a longneck horn-face."

"Um...hmm.."

"And then there are my sister's names for her kids…"

"If Arial tells Nahoda and he panics, Orchid owes me two fish," Mender whispered to Buse, having easily dropped back and moved to Buse's side, "I'm not catching your fish if we lose." _Again. Never bet against Cynnil._ _Ever._

She could not see Cynnil smile from her position a few body-lengths ahead. "Betting again?" she whispered once she finally turned her head at the two packmates.

Buse shrugged. "It sounds like Orchid wants to owe me some fish."

" _A_ fish," Mender reminded him, "The other two are mine."

Cynnil laughed. I think we will soon find out…"

"You know… Swipe actually would not be a bad fastrunner name. Maybe my sister was onto something there."

Nahoda snorted as he suppressed the urge to nod his head for the dozenth time. "You are thinking an awful lot about names today. Got something on your mind?" As if to punctuate his point he lightly tapped her abdomen, which earned a prompt response.

 **Smack!**

"What?!"

"I am not expecting, you insufferable…"

"But you obviously have it on the mind."

Orchid smirked, as he gave a slight strut towards his two fellow packmates.

"Maybe Nahoda's not as dumb as I thought," Mender muttered to herself. She cringed a bit as Nahoda managed to put his foot in his mouth again only a few moments later. _Okay, maybe he is that stupid._ "Just tell me if you want me to eat him!" she called towards Arial.

"I'll consider it!" Arial replied as Nahoda dodged a playful slap from her.

Orchid could barely suppress his amusement at their antics. It was obvious that the two were in love. Not even Nahoda could overlook that.

"I guess I will need to wait to collect my prize," Orchid affirmed as he looked at the desolate scene around him, "But it was a pleasure betting with both of you anyway." He gave Buse a cheeky smile, while his glance at Mender was a bit more muted.

"Seems like your first day in the pack is going pretty well," Mender said, doing her best to smile while not suggesting that she wanted to eat him. Most non-sharpteeth, she had learned, tended to take her smiles entirely the wrong way.

Orchid was silent for a moment as he collected his thoughts. "It is a bit overwhelming. I mean… things haven't been that different, but it _feels_ different, if that makes any sense." He gestured with his hands as he struggled to find the words. "I mean… I'm still getting used to how to do things in a pack."

"If it makes you feel any better, you're doing a whole lot better than I did," Mender replied.

Orchid considered that for a moment. "How? I mean… at least you are the right kind for a pack. I assumed it would have come naturally." But then he realized the context of her situation and wanted to kick himself. "Though… you had to leave your brother and friend, didn't you?"

"They were all the family I had left. I surprised quite a few people, but I probably surprised myself the most," Mender replied.

Orchid nodded. _I could say the same thing. All of you are my family now. Who knows if I will ever be able see my parents again?_

Mender noticed Orchid had gone quiet and had a pretty good idea as to why. "So... would you like to hear how I ended up joining Seeker's pack?" she asked, wanting to distract her friend from his not so happy thoughts.

This had the desired effect as Orchid's expression suddenly perked up. "Sure! Is it a song?"

This brought the two other fastrunners out of their little squabble as well.

"We haven't heard a song in awhile," Nahoda agreed.

"And you sing better than Petrie," Arial added, "It will be nice to hear Ruby's songs from Ruby."

"I take it I have no choice in the matter?" Mender asked, trying and failing to sound serious.

Cynnil took the moment to stop for the first time in several hours of travel. "Nope! I am ordering you to sing your song while we take a break." Cynnil's tone confirmed that she was about as bad at faking her serious voice as Mender.

"Well, if you insist..."

For only the second time since he had joined the night before, Orchid sat down beside his packmates, eagerly awaiting Mender's song to brighten his bittersweet mood.

 **Though my decision had been made,**

 **My mind was still troubled and afraid**

 **Though an adult I may have now been,**

 **I was not eager to see my fellowship end.**

 **For on this day my mind spun,**

 **Quite aware of what would have to be done.**

* * *

 **The past:**

Littlefoot sighed. It had been several minutes since Dodger had alerted Haven to their situation, and now all they could do is wait for the situation to resolve itself.

"Sir, um, what would happen to Violet if, say, none of us made it back here for a long time or at all?" Dodger asked, grimacing at his word usage.

Littlefoot preened his feathers for a moment, a nervous gesture. He had been expecting that question for a while now. With a friendly, yet neutral, tone he spoke, "Until you are able to reclaim her, she is part of my pack… if she chooses that option. We would protect her as if she is one of our own, because she would be one of our own."

Dodger had to stop and think about his next question. _How exactly do you tactfully ask about what she should do when most of the pack is dealing with eggs? That's a dangerous situation. Even being around me and Tracker wouldn't be entirely comfortable._

"There is something still troubling you," Littlefoot deduced from Dodger's concerned expression.

"Am I that obvious?" _I'm getting too easy to read. Prowler would find this extremely amusing._ Dodger had spent most of his life being nearly impossible to read. This was embarrassingly new to him.

Littlefoot merely nodded with a slight smile being communicated through his tail.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm worried about what would happen if Violet were still here when most of the pack is in their Time of Mating."

Littlefoot shifted awkwardly, "Um… that is kind of something that is of concern… well… because of Haven not having a mate…" His mouth contorted awkwardly. "I mean… Thud has told me that sometimes unpaired females and males will come up with… other combinations during that time if things aren't equal, but I don't know how those of us who are mated would react. I know that I would not share Ponder, and she would probably eviscerate anyone who wanted to 'share' me…"

"I think Violet's still a bit scared of you, so..." _Okay, how do I ask if there's anyone I need to preemptively threaten so no one pressures her in the future? She'll be old enough for her own time of mating a year after everyone else_ , Dodger thought.

Littlefoot looked down slightly. "Yes, I realize that when I discouraged her from attacking Leap that I made an unfortunate impression."

"I don't think it helped that Prowler tried to kill her more than once, though I didn't tell her that was what he was attempting." _That stopped when I told Prowler that if I found a single scratch on Violet that wasn't there the last time I saw her there wouldn't be a place far enough that he could flee to to escape me._

Littlefoot stared at the clouds for a moment. "If… the worst were to happen, Dodger. Then my pack would have at least a year before… well… that time came for the rest of us, and it is more than likely that Violet would um… be induced into the same state by our scent." Littlefoot looked as uncomfortable as Mr. Thicknose did when Ducky asked why her parents would wrestle in the stream all the time. "...but in any case we would have time to talk to her so that she would be able to make her choices during calmer times. I suppose that the pack could search for suitable males if Violet or Haven wanted us to go that route."

"I'm sorry if this is bothering you. I'm just trying to make sure Violet is ok no matter what." _I can't do any less_ , Dodger mentally added.

Littlefoot nodded. "It's alright. No one can blame you for leaving no stone unturned when it comes to your sister. But I just want to assure you that Thud is a very competent pack leader. I know that he will do everything that he can to keep you safe, if you choose to join his pack."

"I'm glad to hear that," Dodger replied, more concerned about Tracker's safety in that case than his own.

Littlefoot paused for a moment as he tried to switch the focus of the conversation. "I know that it is a bit awkward to think about, but which decision are you leaning towards if Violet chooses to stay a bit longer?"

"What do you mean?" Dodger asked, a bit confused by the change in topic and preferring accuracy to problematic assumptions.

Littlefoot gestured towards him. "I mean… would you be inclined to become a permanent member of Thud's pack, or would you prefer to merely follow him when the prey becomes scarce?"

"If Violet wishes to stay with you, I'm not going to risk Tracker's life by remaining on our own. As for whether we join Thud permanently or not, I'd have to talk to Tracker. If it were my personal decision, I'd just join Thud's pack and be done with it. But I'd have to consider how Tracker would feel about that." Dodger wasn't sure if he wanted to explain why he thought Tracker might object. One reason, not wanting to be walking around so much, was not a bad thing. Possibly not being comfortable around Leap for that long, however, might not be the nicest thing to say out loud.

Littlefoot did not press that matter as he considered the other possibility. "And if Violet wishes to stay with your pack?"

"We'd have to discuss it. It's not my decision to make. It's too big to make it alone," Dodger replied.

Ducky walked to the bushes with Violet in tow, but as she overheard the last statement from Dodger she decided it was time for her to take her leave of Violet. With a pleasant smile and a curt nod, she left the other female to confront the males.

 _I'm not sure I can do this,_ Violet thought now that she was alone, _I don't even know what to say._ _Maybe I should just do it later…_

Littlefoot heard the slight rustling of the bushes before he smelled Violet. But, upon seeing a flash of purple behind the green, he quickly realized who the new presence was.

"Greetings, Violet," Littlefoot offered kindly, yet formally. He decided to refrain from saying more as he wasn't sure how exactly to proceed. Violet would have to make her choice known to both her pack leader and to Littlefoot, but was it really proper to have them both in the same place while she made this personal decision? Littlefoot wasn't exactly sure.

Violet stepped out of the bushes, trying to keep herself from shaking. _I'm not sure what's worse, not knowing what to say or not knowing how Dodger will react._ She opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again. _How do I say I want to join Seeker's pack without sounding ungrateful to Dodger?_

Littlefoot looked towards Dodger and carefully read the fastbiter's features. His face appeared neutral, with carefully controlled features, but his scent gave him away. Now knowing his friend's inner turmoil, he tried to deescalate the situation.

"I guess that I will be over by the stream. If either of you want to talk afterwards, then feel free to stop by..."

Violet felt torn between wanting to only have to say this once and wanting to just talk to her brother. Her indecision took the choice away from her, with Littlefoot departing before she could decide upon an answer. The best she could do was force herself to calm down and stop shaking like a two-footer was considering her as a meal.

Dodger seriously considered prompting Violet, knowing the silence was bothering her as much as it did him, but his sister finally managed to speak before he got the chance.

"I want to stay here," Violet blurted out. She immediately covered her mouth and sincerely wished someone would just kill her. _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Why do I keep doing that?_

Dodger tried to control his expressions, but Violet's words cut through his composure like a fastbiter's claws. _So that's it then…_ Littlefoot's reassurances from moments before were lost in the haze of his emotions as his only acknowledgement of her message was a slight bow of his head, an expression made more of shock than anything else.

Violet tried to say something twice, but both times words failed her. She collapsed into a sitting position frustrated by her own lack of eloquence, afraid she might have just destroyed her relationship with her brother if his reaction was anything to go by, and upset that fixing this seemed to be far beyond her abilities. She could cause great damage but couldn't do a thing to reverse it.

"I see," Dodger offered with obvious hurt in his voice, "Violet… I can't sense your mind. May I ask... why you no longer want to be with us?" There was so much else that he wanted to say, but in the heat of the moment he was as speechless as Violet.

 _I'm starting to wish I was completely smell-blind_ , Violet thought. Hearing the pain she'd caused her brother was bad enough. Smelling it and being able to interpret it correctly made it so much worse. "I… I…" _I don't know how to explain it. I'd rather him kill me than tell him I feel safer here. Wanting to learn more about healing is a good reason, but it's not good enough._

Despite his emotional pain, he sat down and gestured for her to continue, "I am not mad at you, Violet… and I respect your decision," he swallowed as he forced himself to remain somewhat composed, "I just want to know… well… is it because of me? I've tried the best that I can, but I know that Seeker is a better leader than me. I can't blame you."

 _WHAT?_ Violet tried to actually yell what she was thinking, but it came out more as unintelligible gibberish. _If I were looking at leaders only I'd never once consider leaving your side for even a moment._ "What?" she finally managed to gasp out, respect overcome by shock, "How can you even think that?"

Dodger hesitated, actually shaking as if he were being berated by a superior. It was an odd change of roles for him. "Well… I mean…" He suddenly found himself at a loss for words. "I hardly knew anything about how to lead until Seeker tried to teach me… I couldn't even protect Tracker from this pack's attack… or you from your head injury… or… or…"

"I can't speak for Tracker since I didn't see it, but we both know what happened to me was my fault. I was doing exactly what you always told me not to do. I was going too fast and not paying attention." Violet couldn't hold back a laugh at the irony. "Funny how I forget everything I want to remember yet I remember that. I wouldn't have been running in the first place if I wasn't such a bad fighter." That last part was more of a guess, but she didn't doubt its truth. She would've kept fighting alongside her brother if she thought she could've actually fought.

Dodger shook his head. "I'm sorry… I can't blame you for picking the better option… I just…" He did not notice that his watery eyes had finally begun to release tears. "I'm sorry it has to be this way. I just hope that Thud is a better leader than me, I know that Seeker certainly is…"

For a moment Violet wanted nothing more than to literally knock some sense into her brother. Self preservation stopped her from even letting the thought show. She'd find herself on the ground with at least one broken bone just from Dodger reacting instinctively. "Dodger, I can't imagine a leader better than you. You kept me safe when we were kids. You kept me safe when we were left alone. I don't deserve that kind of protection. Its nearly gotten you killed so many times, and it never occurred to me just how much danger you put yourself in for me." Violet struggled to keep her composure. She was shocked that her brother felt like he wasn't a good leader. That just wasn't true. He was the best, in her eyes at least. "I don't want you dying for a smell-blind girl that can't even take care of herself. Maybe if I learned how to do something useful, like healing, I might actually be worth the effort, but right now…" Violet shook her head. "You would've been better off if you just left me in the river." _I put you in far too much danger over the years. I can't even begin to repay you for that._

Dodger hissed, "Don't say that! Don't you dare say that, Violet. You are precious regardless of what any other sap-sucker tells you." He sucked in a deep breath. "I just want to make sure that you stay safe and are happy."

Violet's emotions left her feeling like she'd gotten swept down a river. Going from fearful at her brother's outburst to shocked and something that wasn't quite but close to happy at her brother's opinion of her was a bit dizzying. _I'm that important to him?_

Dodger sighed. "I'm just not sure how to do that anymore… but I am glad that you think that you have found your answer. Just…" He looked her straight in the eyes. "...regardless of what happens… even if Tracker and I are lost… remember our songs and carry on our legacy."

"That's not going to happen," Violet replied, almost defiant. _There's no way that could happen. It just can't._

Dodger nodded. "I will do my best to make sure that it doesn't, but you have seen how many close calls that we have had." He then smiled at her. "Just promise me that you will remember regardless of what happens."

"I'll try my best," Violet promised. _As long as no one expects me to sing well..._

Dodger held back a sniffle as he opened his arms to embrace his sister. "That is all any of us can do."

Violet nearly knocked her brother over in her rush to hug him first. "I love you," she said, though it came out more as a sob. Violet was either in control of herself or she wasn't. There was no such thing as holding back when she stopped trying to hide what she was feeling.

Dodger stopped trying to hold back as well. "I love you too, sis."

* * *

Littlefoot took another deep drink from the stream as Ruby, Cera, Taunt, and Ducky looked on but said nothing. None of those present had any idea what to say to ease their leader's nerves, especially under these circumstances. In the case of Cera and Taunt, they only could deduce a hint of what was being considered and, for once, Taunt decided to keep his mouth shut.

He looked up from the latest mouthful of water as he saw the the familiar violet fastbiter once again. From many feet away, Dodger stood like a sentinel. He may have been keeping his distance physically, but he could still feel his presence. It was the expressions that the fastbiters were wearing that caught his attention, however.

 _He looks calmer… but he also looks sad…_ then he looked at Violet, his potential new temporary pack member, _Violet… Violet… if only you knew that you weren't the only nervous one. I don't even know the proper etiquette here!_ For once he was glad that Thud was not present for this, as he would otherwise get a lecture on the proper way to take in another pack member under these circumstances. Despite its uniqueness, Littlefoot was certain that there was probably an obscure story somewhere that went through an entire arcane ritual to use in this instance.

While Littlefoot's thoughts were at least orderly, Violet's were somewhat less organized. _There's more people, and I have absolutely no clue how to say this, especially since I don't want to stay here forever. Even if I did, they wouldn't let me. They're not letting Dodger and Tracker stay even though they're both more useful than I am, Dodger especially. What am I supposed to do? I wish I could've talked to Haven more about this. Then I'd at least know what_ not _to do._

Littlefoot took a deep breath. "Greetings, Violet. How may I help you?" He knew what may be coming from Ducky's 'suggestion' that perhaps they could allow Violet to stay a bit longer from earlier, but he had not been told anything for certain. Ducky would never betray Violet's trust like that, but her 'suggestion' was clearly worded as something more than a passing thought. Ducky did not need to know that it was an idea that Littlefoot had already been considering.

"W-well, I um…" Violet stammered, completely at a loss for what to say. _Tracker's so much better at this than I am._

Littlefoot smiled, but did not prompt her to continue. If she were about to propose what he thought she was, then he would simply be supportive. Coercion or prompting during a pack joining would send entirely the wrong message. Littlefoot wanted to make every possible show that his pack was not like Calin's.

Violet looked away in embarrassment. She wanted nothing more than to walk away and try again later, hopefully with fewer onlookers. While it was a struggle, she kept herself from looking back at her brother for support. _If I can't even do this on my own, I don't deserve to call myself an adult._

"It's alright, Violet," Taunt interrupted, much to his mate's surprise, "If you are unsure how to say something, then one of us could help you."

Despite the breach in protocol, Ruby couldn't help but smile. "Taunt was never one for ritual, but we can help you with ritual if we know which ritual you want to do."

Needing at least some help to figure out what she was going to say, Violet gave Ducky a pleading look. If she had to beg out loud, she would, but her brother being present kept her from doing that before it was absolutely necessary.

Ducky smiled a bit. _Think about those gestures that I taught you, Violet..._ She then carefully bowed so that she was halfway to the gesture that one gives to submit to a pack leader. She hoped that she would understand her gesture.

Seeing Ducky's gesture, Violet thought back to her training and carefully tried to replicate the gesture that she had been taught for joining a pack. With a quick step backwards, she lowered her eyes towards the ground, but kept her head upright for several moments. Then, trying very carefully to get the details right, she lowered her entire body towards the ground, so that it was almost a gesture of surrender. Despite the slight over-bow, however, Littlefoot understood her gesture completely.

Littlefoot took a breath, as audible gasps could be heard escaping from his mate, Cera, and Taunt. Now it was up to him to follow the proper protocol. Some part of his mind mused that this would be a learning experience for both Violet and Dodger, as this was a ritual that was not supposed to be given in full except during a pack joining.

"Violet, are you certain that you wish to renounce your previous attachments and declare your mind and body for the good of this pack?" Littlefoot intoned with extreme formality. It was a custom for which the questions were both pointless and necessary. The only acceptable answer was 'yes', but it was necessary that the new initiate knew what they were getting into.

"Yes, sir," Violet replied, internally wincing.

Further back, Dodger physically and mentally took a step away from his sister. _My task is finished, my oath fulfilled. I couldn't be more proud of you, little sister._

Littlefoot was pleased by the prompt response. Despite Violet's nearly terrified scent, she was handling herself well, "Will you do whatever it takes to support this pack, including shedding your own life blood?"

"Yes, sir," came the prompt, unhesitant, reply.

"Will you remember the pack's songs and sing them for the benefit of its memory?" Littlefoot continued.

"Y-yes, sir." This, Violet was worried she could mess up. Her memory wasn't the best; all present knew that.

Littlefoot smiled a bit. _The questions are more about intent, Violet, than ability._ He then continued on to the final question.

"Do you have an adult name?"

"No, sir." _Um, yikes. There's no going back now. What have I gotten myself into?_ Violet thought.

At this point, Dodger did the hardest thing he'd ever done in his life. He turned and walked away before he heard his sister renamed. _Its her life, her name. I want her to grow into it. She's not going to do that with me watching everything. She's not part of my pack anymore, no matter how much that hurts._

Littlefoot looked at her intensely, as he placed his hands on her face. When this ritual had been done to him, it had been a simple matter of having Chomper name everyone. When Taunt and Breeze had joined his pack it had been a simple matter of taking in those who had already been named and left without a pack… but this was different. For the first time, the duty of naming had befallen Littlefoot. A duty that was not to be taken lightly.

He took a deep breath as he looked at the distantly setting Bright Circle. It was odd how this pack had been ripped apart, and then mended, but then ripped apart again. But yet, as long as Violet lived, he knew that her brother and Tracker would be just fine. It seemed that despite her disability, or because of it, Violet helped to bring others together. Just like her new profession as a healer, she seemed to have an ability to mend whatever was broken.

 _That's it! That would be a perfect name for her._

"From this day forward you shall be called, Mender." He paused briefly for the enormity of this moment to sink in for the new pack member. "Mender. Arise."

Violet stood up as directed. She barely hid her surprise when she saw that the entirety of Seeker's pack was there. _My pack, too,_ she corrected herself, _This is going to take some getting used to. Whoah. How'd Path sneak up on us?_ She could make him out a bit further away than everyone else. Still, such a feat was both impressive and a bit alarming.

"Everyone, let's welcome Mender to the pack! I am sure that she will be with us for at least until after the next Cold time." Littlefoot's slightly mischievous grin immediately informed both Ducky and Violet that Littlefoot was letting Violet have some flexibility if she wished to return to their comrades later. "...unless you she wants to stay longer. Welcome, Mender!""

"Thanks," Violet said softly, her words almost failing her.

As if on cue, Violet was mobbed by the rest of the pack, with Ducky and Ruby being in front of the line. In a sudden change of proper etiquette due to her change in status, the others got within inches of her as they both greeted her with friendly growls and sniffed her as if she were a fragrant sweet bubble tree. Her scent was now being placed into another category in their minds. The category of "pack".

"It is nice to have you with us, Vi… Mender," Cera offered in a friendly, yet forceful manner, "I guess that you already worked out something with Seeker? So you are with us until at least after the next Cold Time?"

"Oh, goodness, are you questioning her already, dear?" Taunt mocked his mate, which earned him a glare, "But it is nice to have you in the pack, Mender." he offered with a friendly smile.

"It's in case I end up being more trouble than I'm worth," Violet replied. No matter how many times others told her differently, Violet had a very hard time seeing herself as doing anything than minimizing the trouble she caused.

"Ha! That won't be the case," Cera mused, "We still have Taunt in the pack, and he is far more trouble than he is worth!"

Taunt didn't even try to challenge his mate's statement as he sniffed Violet carefully, "I have my good side! That's my side that Cera hasn't bitten a scar in yet."

 _You've got scars on both sides,_ Violet mentally answered. She didn't get very far past that thought when Spike and Breeze approached. She couldn't help but freeze a bit. Larger fastbiters always made her a bit nervous, her brother permanently excepted. _Remember, I'm among friends_ , she thought in an attempt to calm herself.

"Greetings, Mender," Breeze offered in a friendly voice, as she politely sniffed her nose. Spike, meanwhile, simply gave her a friendly grunt and sniffed as well. Despite his ability to talk, some habits died hard in the former spiketail.

"Hi," Violet responded, feeling somewhat shy. She didn't know Breeze quite as well as she would've liked beyond healing lessons and honestly had her longest interaction with Spike when she was helping heal him of a rather unpleasant type of buzzer. _Gotta talk to them more. I knew_ Prowler _better than I know them._

"Thanks, again," Spike offered kindly as he walked away. But Violet had little time to respond when Chomper and Petrie came to her side.

"Me glad to see you in pack, but me also surprised!" the flyer screeched.

"Hm?" Violet asked, barely catching Petrie's words. She was a bit distracted by the proximity of Chomper. Friendly or not, two-footers still made her very nervous. More problematically, she'd spent almost no time around him for precisely that reason.

"He says that he is glad to have you in the pack," Chomper spoke in an almost impossibly deep voice, which sounded especially odd considering his youthful demeanor, "I know that.. um… you have had issues with my kind in the past. But I hope that we can become better acquainted."

"Sorry," Violet replied, her tone extremely apologetic both for letting herself be afraid and for how she'd avoided Chomper as much as she could've. She cringed at the thought of how that must've looked to everyone else.

Chomper nodded. "It's alright, Mender. Sometimes healing takes time."

Petrie simply gave her a sniff to be polite; flyers were not known for their ability to track scent. "The important thing is that you try."

Violet then remembered the bit of what Petrie had said that she caught. "You said you were surprised, Spotter. Why?"

Petrie shrugged with his wings. "Me not know what your old pack do," he did not see the slight shiver from Violet as he referred to her 'old pack', "But me not know what you do either. So Spotter surprised by all this, but it pleasant surprise."

"Oh." Violet couldn't think of anything else to say to that. "Well, thanks, I guess."

"Well, Mender, I guess it is time for you to join your first pack meeting. How did you like the greeting ritual?" Littlefoot smiled. "I imagine that it is a bit overwhelming."

"Y-yes, sir," Violet stammered, surprised by her new pack leader's sudden appearance. No matter how hard she tried, her first reaction to seeing a pack leader was always some variation of 'don't hurt me'. Prowler had been rather fond of hurting her in some form or fashion.

Ruby smiled. "Easy, Mender. You have nothing to fear from us."

Littlefoot placed a hand on Violet's shoulder. "I guess that you are a bit overwhelmed, huh?"

Violet just nodded, not trusting herself to speak again. _Must not do anything stupid. Like fainting._

Littlefoot's smile faded somewhat now that he could smell the scent of fear on her. "I'm sorry if I scared you, Mender. Perhaps you could take a few drinks from the stream to calm yourself, and then we can go to the meeting place together?" He gestured towards himself and his mate. "We need to decide as a pack how to properly send off Thud's pack… and your brother and Tracker. I wonder what they would think of a freshly caught swimmer…"

Violet tried not to look too hopeful. She really wanted to see if her only successful hunt wasn't just a happy accident but was pretty sure that was someone else's privilege. _Best not assume anything until I know all the rules. Never assume something is okay._ "Wh… you're asking me?" _Rank system seriously violated. My head hurts._

Littlefoot laughed as his mate took a drink from the stream. "I am asking everyone in the meeting, but I am asking you as well. Just because I make the decisions that doesn't mean that I don't ask for everyone's opinion sometimes." His eyes had a glint of humor in them. "I would also tell you that the 'sir' is not necessary, but I am sure you will give me the same response that your brother did."

Violet just looked at Littlefoot questioningly, nearly biting her tongue to avoid asking 'Sir?'.

Ruby rejoined him as he tried to hold back laughter, "You are currently thinking this right now, aren't you… sir?" he did his best impression of Dodger.

Violet looked down in embarrassment. _There's a whole lot more to him calling you 'sir' than you'll ever know, Seeker. It has nothing to do with you just being a pack leader._

Littlefoot smiled. "Well… don't worry about it. I appreciate the respect and in most other packs they would probably demand it… but anyway, just keep in mind when me and you are talking privately that you can drop the 'sir'." He figured that this compromise might work.

Ruby grinned mischievously. "Or you could take a lesson from Taunt and use 'sir' sarcastically all of the time!"

Littlefoot groaned. "I think that there are other things she can be trained on, dear, before she gets trained in how to be a…" He was unable to finish whatever colorful metaphor that he had in mind for Taunt before his mate stuffed a ground fuzzy in his mouth.

Ruby quickly spoke in Violet's direction. "Special rights of the leader's mate, Mender, I would not try doing that." She then proceeded to sprint ahead as Littlefoot followed playfully.

Violet just watched, slightly confused and very much wrongfooted. _What just happened?_ She hurried to catch up, not wanting to be the last one holding everything up.

 _This is officially the weirdest day of my entire life. I've never seen a pack leader that relaxed. Even being made fun of didn't seem like he was trying to hurt me._ Violet shook her head to clear it. _Well, I've managed to completely turn my life upside-down. I don't know any of the rules, and I'm the lowest-ranking one here. Again. This is going to be interesting. Hopefully if or, more likely, when I have to leave it'll be on good terms._ The last thing she wanted to do was be thrown out of the pack in disgrace. _I know everyone at least a bit, some of them pretty well. That doesn't mean I have anyone to hide behind, though. No one to save me if I fail._ That last thought, more than anything, scared her. She was truly on her own now.

* * *

Tracker took another drink from the stream as she awaited the return of Dodger and possibly Violet. Both of them had not left on the best terms, but she had no idea what to do. She could not interrupt the other pack while the status of her pack was in question, but she also couldn't talk to Violet and Dodger if they were elsewhere. This left her in an odd sort of limbo, uncertain about how to proceed or help.

It was a helpless feeling.

It was when she considered going after some fish that she finally heard a familiar series of footsteps. She didn't need to smell him to realize that her mate was coming.

And he was alone.

Despite having had some time to think over what he was going to say to say to Tracker, Dodger still hadn't figured it out. Or, more accurately, how to say it. _I'm not sure if that lost feeling that won't go away is Violet's fault or just my inability to think straight anymore_ , he thought to himself.

Tracker looked up at her mate with a carefully neutral expression. Upon seeing a lost expression on his face, she assumed the worst, "Dear, is everything alright? How… is Violet?"

"She's staying here," Dodger said, though his tone seemed more appropriate for reporting a death.

Hesitantly, Tracker walked up to her mate and gently nuzzled his neck. Based upon his manner of reporting things she feared that him and his sister had not made amends. The separation of packs was often an unpleasant event. Her scent of concern and residual sadness for her mate radiated very quickly.

"Apparently she and I have a few similar issues, like hiding them. What do you say when your sister tells you she doesn't think she's worth protecting?"

Tracker froze. "She said what?"

"She told me I would've been better off if I'd left her in the river when we first got separated from our family."

Tracker took in a deep breath. "I don't understand. She has been trained to be a healer now and she has had her first hunt. How can she feel like she was not worth saving?" Tracker shook her head. "Even if she hadn't done those things you wouldn't have left her behind."

"She knows that, and it apparently isn't something she likes. She doesn't want me getting killed because of her. I get that. What I don't get is why she thinks that she would be any less valuable if she wasn't a healer. Did I give her that impression?" Dodger was seriously confused as to how Violet could have gotten that thought into her head in the first place.

Tracker closed her eyes. "Dear… put yourself in Violet's place for a moment. Any attempt that she made to stand out earned her… well… Prowler's usual treatment. And then both of us tried to help her out, which means that she couldn't stand out either. But now she has had a taste of being a hunter and of being a healer. A taste of being.. well… like you." She looked at him with kind eyes. "I can see why she might feel the way that she does."

"Hopefully she'll do better here. I really should've done something about Prowler a long time ago." For failing to act Dodger would never forgive himself.

"And gotten yourself killed?" Tracker prompted, "You did what you could, Dear. We all did. And now because of you Violet is now an adult. Do you honestly think that would have been possible without you?"

"Why do you think every time we were attacked I always tried to shove Violet in your direction?" Dodger asked in reply. _You and Violet would've been fine on your own, assuming you didn't pick a fight with everyone around you._

Tracker did not quite understand how Dodger's words followed her previous statement, as she could not read his thoughts. "I know that you were trying to play the hero, Dodger. But I guess that is part of the reason why Violet wants to move away from your shadow… it's not disrespect, it's…"

Dodger sighed. "Violet and I parted on good terms. We weren't exactly happy, but we're not angry with each other," he said in an attempt to clarify what had happened between him and his sister, "By the way, Tracker, I never tried to play hero. I thought that if the worst should happen Violet would be safest with you."

Tracker looked down as she heard her mate's words about what would happen if he were lost. "Dear…" She took a calming breath as she considered what he said about Violet. "Well, I am glad that she parted on good terms. Neither of you deserve to have a rift between you, even when you both are acting like a stubborn spiketail."

"You've been around both of us for how long and yet you're surprised we're both stubborn?" Dodger asked jokingly.

She took a playful nip towards his ear. "Not surprised, just frustrated!" she then laughed as he overreacted in his attempt to dodge his bite, "I am not going to bite your head off, Dear! I am sure it wouldn't taste that good anyway," she added with humor.

Dodger tried to act offended, but he was trying too hard not to laugh. Tracker was the only person that could actually make him relax and laugh.

Tracker laughed for several moments before she decided to broach a more pressing topic, "I am glad for your sister, but it seems that we have a choice to make as well."

"And your thoughts on that would be...?" Dodger asked, deciding to try to be a bit more diplomatic than he originally intended. Convincing Tracker that joining Thud was a good idea would go over much better than making the decision unilaterally.

She thought for a moment, "We are only a pack of two now. That certainly changes things." She stopped as she waited for Dodger to show a bit more of his thoughts on the matter.

"While we've survived in pairs before, I'm not sure I like the idea of being in such a small group. It's so much easier for things to go wrong." _Sort of like our run-in with the two-footer when you got your first kill, though I'll admit that probably ended as well as it possibly could've._

"Don't remind me…" Tracker muttered thinking back to those unhappy days, "Though our options are limited if we want to be in a larger pack."

She thought for a diplomatic way to address the topic for moment before finally giving up and speaking her mind, "What do you think of Thud?"

"That he should've asked about talking to Violet before scaring her half to death," Dodger replied. Despite being committed to joining Thud's pack, that incident had really bothered him. _Maybe I am a bit overprotective. Better safe than sorry, though._

Tracker coughed. "Um… He and I already had some words about that. I think he's already got the message." _Unless my sniffer is as broken as Violet's, I am sure he got the message._

"I heard. You weren't exactly quiet, though you were quite a bit calmer than I would have been." _Not that any of us are used to keeping much entirely private._

Tracker shifted in an embarrassment manner. "Um… I guess I won't be able to talk to him like that if we join him, huh?"

"That might not be the best idea, no." _Though it would probably end better than with Prowler, assuming you'd even dare to do that in the first place with him._

Tracker thought a bit more. "Well, besides his little conversation with Violet, what are your thoughts on all of them?" She considered for a moment that she might soon no longer be calling the other fastbiters 'them', but rather 'us'.

"Frankly, I don't have any real problems with any of them. Honestly, I don't know any of them all that well," Dodger replied. _The main thing I know about Leap is something I originally wanted to kill him for,_ he mentally added.

Tracker closed her eyes for several moments as her thoughts went into the same place that Dodger's had trekked. "I know enough to know that Leap and his family tried to be as kind as they could be. I know that Thud is a better pack leader than Calin," she spat at the mention of his name, "But I know that Thud is doing this out of the interest of his pack as well. His pack is only three, so a pack of five would be much stronger and safer."

"I was thinking something similar. We'd be safer in a group of five than just us two." _It might be a good idea to get to know Thud's pack as much as we can before we leave, though,_ Dodger thought.

"The question is: how do YOU feel about this?" Tracker looked into Dodger's eyes as she asked this. She knew that her mate had confidence issues, but she was unsure how he would adapt to being a lower-ranked member again, Thud was no Prowler, but old emotions died hard.

"I think we should go with the safer option," Dodger said, attempting to avoid the question at least partly. _As long as Tracker is safe, I really don't care about anything else._

Tracker nodded, but she also took note of what Dodger did not say in his answer. Nonetheless, she decided to take the opportunity to examine her mate's body and lighten the mood, "Are you going to clean up before we meet with them?" She teased. "You still have ground fuzzy fur on your claws."

Dodger tried to check without looking like he was.

 **NIP**

"I can't believe I fell for that," Dodger laughed, playfully pushing his mate back.

"You didn't live up to your name there, DODGER," she teased, but then her face took on an odd expression, "Though I guess neither of us will keep our names will we? I guess it would be up to Thud to name us again." It was an odd sensation to consider that fact. It felt like something between a death and a rebirth. Her name was one of the few things that she still had from her parents. Their songs was the only other thing that remained of them.

"I walked away before I heard Violet's," Dodger admitted, "I'm not sure if I even want to know it yet. I might not ever be able to get her name right without some obvious change." _Like six cycles of the Night Circle apart._

"You wanted her to be an adult, and that requires them to leave their parents," Tracker noted, _you are like a father to her, Dodger. You know that as well as I._ "But we will need to eventually find out her name. I am sure Seeker didn't pick out something too bad. Like how he originally named Path… Chomper, what kind of name is that?"

"A rather descriptive one," Dodger said, smiling a bit, "I'm just glad it isn't as accurate now." _There wouldn't be much left of anyone that got, well, chomped._

"Or like Seeker's original name, Littlefoot. Leaf-eater names are weird," she shook her head as she sighed, "Well, I guess we have made our choice, haven't we?"

"I guess so."

Tracker looked in the direction where Thud's pack was last seen. It appeared that it was now the time to put their decision into action, "Do you remember the gesture that Seeker showed us? The one for submission to a new leader?" she asked with a hushed voice.

"Yeah, the overly complicated one." _It almost seems more useful for testing your balance than declaring your allegiance._

"Show me," Tracker asked, "I want to make sure that you don't make a gesture for something else."

"You just want to see me fall on my face," Dodger said.

Tracker shook her head. "No, no. I am not asking you to see you fall on your face." She smiled.

 _I've got a bad feeling about this. What are you up to, Tracker?_ Dodger first made the gesture indicating his next one wasn't serious. He then carefully made the correct bow, being extra careful not to overbalance.

Tracker smiled. "Darn! You remembered the play bow." She watched as he rolled his eyes. "I was hoping that you would acknowledge who was the leader in the relationship." She finished with a playful smirk.

"So, you want to be the one representing us to Thud after your little chat with him?" Dodger asked, smirking as well. _Tracker, you usually think things through better than this._

Tracker rolled her eyes. "I am playing, Mr. Serious." She nuzzled him again. "Besides, as Ponder told me earlier, the mate of a pack leader gets some special leeway. So I decided to enjoy it while I can." She ended her statement by taking a final nip at his ear.

Dodger easily avoided the nip this time. "You're trying to make me earn my name before I lose it, aren't you? Have you been talking to Stern Claw?" _She likes trying, and succeeding in, biting Taunt._

Tracker snorted. "Nope. The last time I saw her she was yelling at Taunt about something. I think arguing is how those two flirt."

"I'd hate to see what they're like when they're actually mad at each other," Dodger said, halfway serious. _That would not be fun to watch._

Tracker nodded at that. "Well, she was originally a threehorn. Though I don't know what Taunt's excuse is."

"Does he need one?"

Tracker snorted. _He will if he upsets Violet at all. Some of his jokes would have made even Prowler cringe in embarasment._

"Well..." Tracker said with some finality, realizing this was the time, "Shall we seek out our future packmates? We both have a demotion to attend to."

"Demotion from a rank I never actually used. I think I can live with that," Dodger said, standing up, "Let's go."

As Tracker joined Dodger on their journey to their new packmates she had an odd feeling of being liberated. Violet had found a place of her own and achieved adulthood in her own right, while she and her mate would have a safer option for the time being. Now all that she had to do is let fate take its course. One song had ended and another would soon begin.

* * *

 **The present, the Mysterious Beyond:**

"Rarqhax."

The fastbiter watched in fascination as the purple fastrunner ran towards Cynnil and promptly bowed a bit too low to acknowledge his summons.

"Yes, Cynnil?"

 _Here we go again,_ Mender thought, seeing a bit too much of herself in Orchid's actions.

The hidden runner smirked slightly, but did not mention his slight mistake. "You are adapting to your new name well. Maybe we should use it more often instead of using your old one…"

Orchid looked a bit uncertain of what to do next as he spared Mender the slightest hint of a 'what do I do?' look. Cynnil, meanwhile, gave the slightest wink in Mender's direction.

"Well, Orchid _is_ easier to say," Mender said, "It took me forever to stop calling myself Violet."

"True, but I am busy tormenting him before I put him to work." Cynnil broke into a laugh when Orchid glared at her despite his lower rank. "Smell the air, Orchid. What do you smell?"

 _Involving Orchid in a hunt... I really hope this is not a bad idea,_ Mender thought, _Please tell me that's not what Cynnil is thinking._

Orchid raised his snout to the sky as he closed his eyes. That was when his eyes snapped open.

"Threehorns?"

 _No. Not those guys again,_ Mender mentally groaned.

Cynnil smirked. "An elderly male, I do believe, and if we continue along this way we will almost certainly see him."

"And he will see us!" Nahoda quipped as he began to peek above the grass to catch a glimpse of the unseen beast.

"Maybe we should go around… threehorns are not fond of potential egg stealers," Arial noted with a shiver, as if remembering something unpleasant.

"Well, he is old, so maybe... nah. Threehorns don't need a reason to try to crush you," Mender thought aloud.

Cynnil shrugged. "Well, Buse and I can blend in, but Mender is a bit too large to hide."

Mender gave Cynnil a slightly offended look. "Hey, its hard to walk with my tail down when I'm crouching to your height."

"So.. this gives me an idea." Cynnil's eyes twinkled. "Perhaps we could have a fast pack member lead our guest away while the rest of us go behind him. He cannot chase what he does not see."

Orchid swallowed. "So let me get this straight… you want me…" He punctuated this by pointing at his hands. "...to distract a threehorn? While all of you… run away."

Cynnil patted him on the shoulder. "You'll do fine! Buse and I will be keeping watch and if anything happens we will be able to help." She raised a spear for emphasis. "Though I am hoping that your distraction is a bit more peaceful than a chase."

"Somehow I doubt our three-horned friend over there is interested in talking," Mender commented.

* * *

"Hello there!"

Orchid took a deep breath as his heart felt like it might burst out of his chest. Every muscle fiber cried out to take flight, but he kept himself attached to the ground by sheer will. This was quite possibly the stupidest thing he had done since he saved Nahoda and nearly killed his father in the process. But there was no turning back now.

Taking another breath, he allowed his eyes to close for a moment. _Calm yourself, Orchid… you can outrun a threehorn._ With a shuddering breath he opened his eyes to look upon the threat in front of him, preparing to make his flight…

Only to see the gray threehorn shake his head and resume eating the grass. It was as if Orchid did not exist.

The fastrunner clicked his beak. He should have felt relieved that the threehorn only saw him as a nuisance. This is how the old Orchid would have felt. But he was Rarqhax now, and the fact that meant Orchid did not change the fact that he was a changed person. He was part of a pack now; part of a family. And this arrogant horn-face that just insulted him in front of him.

"Hey! Threehorn! I'm talking to you!"

The threehorn grunted as he looked up from his meal, never once dropping his food. The eyes of the beast communicated annoyance, but his face communicated bemusement. "So you are."

As the threehorn resumed his meal, Orchid felt his blood boil. No wonder why Ruby sometimes complained about threehorns in her messages home. They were arrogant and rude!

Orchid smirked. _Well, I am fast enough. Two can play at this game._

"Why are you in my territory, horn-face?!"

* * *

 _Orchid, you're going to get yourself killed!_ "I'm going to get him out of there," Mender said, turning to do just that.

"No you will not!" Cynnil ordered as she shoved the fastrunners forward despite Arial's terror, "Rarqhax knows what he is doing."

As the threehorn stepped forward towards their newest packmate, she could only shake her head.

 _You better be right,_ _Cynnil,_ Mender thought, _What he's doing now is about as safe as running into a threehorn nest and stealing an egg while the parents are watching. Orchid, you're insane._

* * *

"Really?"

As the laughter erupted from the threehorn's mouth, Orchid felt something flutter in his stomach.

"Let me guess, egg-stealer… you found yourself someone to couple with and now you are trying to impress her." The threehorn's chuckle turned into near-hysterical laughter. "So you decided to challenge me? I think your puny loins have overtaken your punier mind!"

Orchid smirked as he saw a tell-tale tail disappear behind the dense grass. His mission was accomplished; now he just had to complete his escape. With more than a little energy in his step he rushed forward.

"So says the horn-face who doesn't watch his surroundings… it's a wonder you have survived this long. Maybe your herd left you because you're not right in the head?" Orchid's smile turned dark as he glanced behind him quickly. "Well, gotta go!"

* * *

 _Orchid, I can't figure out whether or not to tell you 'good job' or 'you're insane'._ Mender did have to hold in a laugh, however, as she watched the threehorn charge at imaginary targets in the tall grass. _Seriously, though. Do you have any sense of self-preservation, Orchid? Taunt and you are going to get along far too well._ A moment later her last thought finally sunk in. _Oh, great..._

"Ha! That was great, wasn't it?"

Orchid nearly crashed into the fastbiter as he came to a stop. The sounds of the threehorn mindlessly attacking the grass they had escaped from echoed around them as Orchid struggled to catch his breath. His sister was full of breath, however.

"Orchid! What did you think you were doing out there?"

The purple fastrunner gave a slight smile as he gave the distant threehorn a look. "Getting the last word?"

 _So I'm not the only one that thought Orchid was taking too much of a risk,_ Mender thought as Arial slapped her brother with a resounding smack.

Nahoda clicked his beak as he saw that display. "Sometimes getting in the last word isn't worth it, Orchid."

This earned him a reply from his mate. "Nahoda, dear?"

"Hmmm?"

"Shut up."

 _Well, that's most of us, so where's... Oh, here they come,_ Mender thought, hearing the approach of the last two members of their group.

"Well that is one way to do it I suppose…" Cynnil shook her head with amusement as she walked in on Orchid rubbing his beak. "Why didn't you just run off?"

The fastrunner was silent for a moment. "He insulted me. He insulted me, and I knew that I had to make sure that he was distracted after I left."

"So you decided to insult a threehorn in broad daylight?" Buse asked with bemusement.

Orchid shrugged. "It was better than having him chase me. This way I disappear, and he chases my shadow instead of possibly looking back."

"Do you really think he would have cared all that much if you just left?" Mender asked Orchid, "The rest of us were already past him."

"Yeah! Don't be an idiot, brother," Arial added for good measure.

It was only now that Orchid appeared to have doubts about his course of action, as he rubbed his beak in a contemplative manner. It was an expression that Cynnil read with ease.

"Okay, pack." Cynnil began with a click of her beak. "What did Rarqhax do right, and what did he do wrong?"

"Um… well he never got too close to the threehorn," Buse noted, "So he got that right."

"And then he tried to get the threehorn to get way too close," Mender pointed out.

"I let my pride get away with me," Orchid noted with distaste, "I knew that I could outrun him and hide in the grass, but I never considered what could go wrong."

Cynnil nodded as she placed a hand on the fastrunner's feathered shoulder. "You did get out of sight before he got too close, but it was an unnecessary risk. Even the most well-prepared plans can go horribly wrong."

"You can't plan for everything," Mender added, "My first real hunt as part of Seeker's pack proved that."

This time it was Nahoda's chance to speak out. "Do I hear a song coming on?"

Mender snorted. "I think Cynnil wants us to get moving." She looked back towards the now calming threehorn in the distance. "...and so do I. So this will have to be sung on the way."

Cynnil laughed. "I would recommend singing it when we are far away from our friend over there unless you want to sing on the run."

Mender snorted. "Sounds like a plan. Let's get running."

* * *

 **The past:**

"Alright, everyone! I think it is time that we had another meeting."

Littlefoot smiled as the other fastbiters got into position, whereas Petrie settled onto a nearby tree. Only Chomper's massive form remained standing. But, as usual, it was Taunt that had the first word.

"So what is going on, Great Leader?" he asked in an infuriatingly respectful tone. The only hint of teasing was the overly flowery title that he had given his leader.

 _I'm never going to get used to this,_ Violet thought, _Prowler would've murdered Taunt, and Dodger probably wouldn't have been entirely happy with him, either. Acting like that in front of the whole pack…_

Littlefoot's smile did not falter. "The Great Leader," he used the term as if to dare Taunt to go any further, "thinks it would be a good idea to decide on how to send our allies off."

Chomper was the next to speak. "Are we thinking about a hunt? Because I am hungry."

Cera rolled her eyes. "You are always hungry, Path. You're beginning to sound like Finder."

"Hey! I am not always hungry," Spike retorted with humor in his eyes, "Sometimes I have to sleep!"

Everyone broke into laughter at Spike's self-deprecating humor, as his mate took the opportunity to bring the meeting back on track.

"What did you have in mind, Seeker?" Breeze asked.

 _I hope it's a hunt. I want to try that again. For once I didn't feel like I was one mistake from disaster. Like there was a real plan._

"Well, there is the herd of swimmers by the place where the streams meet. I think it was about time that we reduced their numbers by one," Littlefoot answered.

Ducky nodded. "There are three families in the herd. One of them has an older female that might be a good target."

Ruby rubbed her chin. "How well protected is she? Is she the matriarch of the herd?"

Ducky shrugged. "I wasn't able to get close enough to hear. I cannot exactly pass as a swimmer anymore. nope, nope, nope!"

Petrie spoke next, "Me can land in tree and listen in. What if she matriarch? What new target then?"

Littlefoot noted that Violet had yet to say anything. "What do you think, Mender? How do you think we should proceed if the elder is the matriarch and too well protected?"

"I… I don't know," Violet answered. _No one has ever asked me for strategic advice. The most attention I ever got that wasn't 'stay out of the way' was Dodger telling me the best way to do my job. Doing anything beyond that wasn't a good idea._

"The first step in learning something is to admit that you haven't learned something yet," Ruby encouraged, "Haven, what other members of the herd are there?"

Ducky thought for a moment. "Two of the families have babies. It seems the same male has made both families," she added with some residual embarrassment. Her former kind was well known for their massive breeding rate, and she was more than a little self-conscious about it.

Violet couldn't help but cringe. _It must be weird for Haven, hunting what she used to be._

"So one male protecting both mothers… that means that we could have an opening," Littlefoot deduced.

"The ol' trick and slash?" Spike inquired.

Littlefoot nodded. "The trick and slash it is. Assuming the older swimmer is the matriarch. If she isn't then we can have an easy meal."

Chomper laughed. "Yeah, especially since all of you will be chasing the food for me!"

Littlefoot rolled his eyes, but did not disagree. More than likely Chomper would make the killer blow, unless he had to be used for the distraction.

"Um, how does that work?" Violet asked, shrinking back as soon as she asked the question. _Should I have said that out loud?_

"Good question," Chomper answered, "If we attack the elder then the pack can chase her and then I can make the killing blow. Swimmers get 'panic stupid' when they run away. But if we have to do the trick and slash, then it is a bit more complicated."

"We would break into three groups then, counting Path as a group of one. We would act like we were attacking one family's children, while Path would attack another. Then the third group would attack whichever one the male fails to back up." Littlefoot explained, "If we do that then you will simply need to backup your group and, if I give the order, launch an attack against the undefended female."

"Okay... " Violet said. _Is it really a good idea to put me in an important position? I've had only one success in my entire life._ Despite being originally eager to try again, Violet's confidence was now falling rapidly.

"Or…" Ruby offered, "We have done it in the past so that one of us acts clumsy and begins to approach the prey in order to see their defense reaction. Then the other groups attack. The idea is the same, but the hunt is not the same, which means it is not really the same."

Cera snorted, "Taunt is good for that role. He is usually goofy, so he doesn't have to act much!"

Taunt rolled his eyes, "I seem to remember, my dear former horn-face, that we once let someone act angry crazy around a bunch of threehorns as the distraction, and she did quite well."

Cera smirked as she decided not to fight the characterization, "Remember that, dear, when you have to share the sleeping place with me. How far do you want to take this?"

Littlefoot rolled his eyes, "Stern Claw, try not to kill Taunt. We need him in the hunt."

Violet tried to get figure out a way to get next to Ducky before finally giving up. "I could try to see what their reaction would be," she hesitantly offered, "I'm terrible at sneaking so I wouldn't even have to act. That way everyone that actually knows what they're doing can do their jobs."

Littlefoot studied her carefully, "Sometimes the best way to learn how to do a job is to watch it in action. Though before anyone can do anything, we need to get more information. Spotter?"

Petrie prepared to take off, "Understood, Seeker. Me find out if she matriarch. If so, we trick, if not then we will eat elder!"

Littlefoot nodded, "Sounds good. Everyone, get ready to hunt. We need to eat the meat so no Orange Death. We will do this the old fashioned way."

 _Does that way involve a high possibility of death?_ Violet wondered, _These swimmers seem more ready for trouble than when I got my first kill._

As everyone began to walk back to their sleeping areas to retrieve their vine armor, Littlefoot took the opportunity to whisper to Violet, "Just relax. Your job is to distract. The other jobs will come later. Just watch and learn."

"Are the vines necessary?" Violet asked, "I didn't think it would be _that_ dangerous." _And the vines are rather uncomfortable._

Littlefoot paused for a moment, "They are not necessary for the one making the distraction, but they will be important for those launching the assault. A swimmer can have a powerful bite," he then guessed her next question, "For this we will not wear them around the legs though. We need to be fast here."

"Okay. Thanks" _Now where did I put the ones I was using?_ Violet thought with a slight bit of alarm, _I hope I didn't lose them._

Littlefoot watched as the new pack member began scampering off to find her own vine armor, forgetting that she would not be needing it, "I think she will get used to things just fine. She reminds me of you and Stern Claw before your first hunt."

Ruby shuddered, "I was a nervous wreck! Dein's cheerful attitude didn't help at all."

Littlefoot rolled his eyes, "Well, at least we are training her and not Dein," he then took his mate's hand, "Well then, dear, shall we get into position?"

As the two walked to the hill that overlooked the swimmer's current location, they kept their ears open for Petrie's report. Soon they would know what they had ahead of them.

* * *

 **The present:**

The small rainbowface put the Archiver Stone in front of his beak with shaking hands. He highly doubted that he would ever get used to this.

 **Report follows…**

 _ **Training in the valley**_

 _ **Cadet Datum**_

Datum swallowed. It was now or never.

 **The training in the valley primarily takes three forms: family training; herd training; and a relatively new innovation, the use of a tutor. It will be tutoring that will discussed in this current report.**

 **Pause!**

The rainbowface gripped the stone in his hand with tremendous force as his sister's voice stopped the recording in its place. Only the clicking of his beak interrupted the resulting silence.

"What did I tell you about interrupting me, sis?"

Arial walked by with a frown as she made a rubbing motion with her hands. "You're not going to mention the…"

"No!" Datum exclaimed before quickly lowering his voice. "No. Even though Mom and Dad says these are one way… we don't want to let the Star People know we screwed up."

Arial took a deep breath as her shoulders visibly relaxed.

Datum shook his head as he stared at the stone in his hand. "I wonder what they are like. Mom and Dad used to be like them." He tilted the stone in his hands once more. "I still don't get why we are 'cadets'. It isn't like we can go up there."

As Datum gestured at the sky above, Axiom focused on the smaller light in the sky. The one that her parents said was another world, one that they said was red and cold. Though in the daylight it shined the same color as the Bright Circle itself. She found herself wondering what it must have been like to see such wonders close.

"I wish that we could see it." Axiom noted with more than a little hint of sadness.

Datum smiled. "Same here, sis. I wonder if Mom and Dad miss it."

"Every single day."

The multi-colored beaks of the children opened in shock before quickly taking on a stoic expression once more. It was not an unusual occurrence for their parents to test their observational skills. Though the twitching of the ends of their tails communicated their annoyance at having failed this test.

But the topic of conversation was infinitely more interesting to them than the momentary jump scare. Seldom did their parents talk about their feelings about the stars.

Axiom turned towards her parents as they looked at their children with unreadable expressions, only their eyes seemed distant with reminiscing.

"Could you ask them in a report to let us see them?" Axiom asked hopefully, "No one in the valley would have to know that we went into the sky."

Datum nodded with excitement. "Yeah! You two were in the valley and left without a trace so why couldn't we all do that?"

The children looked towards their parents expectantly as the two adults shared a knowing glance and a smile.

"No, children." The little ones deflated immediately at their mother's words. "It is part of the Consortium's justification for what happened. We cannot leave here and… well… you are not of our old kind. To them you are just… well…"

"Dumb dinosaurs?" Datum asked in a depressed tone.

"Well… smart dinosaurs," Chronos corrected, switching into a more familiar tone, "But they will not be letting us off this rock. Not ever. And that is a good thing."

"Since we can send our observations back to them with these…" Logos raised her Archiver Stone for effect. "...we do not need to risk contamination or… other complications…"

The children still were down at this news, but more understanding. They had all heard the story about how close their world had came to destruction because of the fear of the Stone of Cold Fire. The last thing they needed was to risk having another giant rock sent their way.

Neither of them noticed Logos giving her mate a stern look.

"Ahem… speaking of complications… we got a report from Seeker today that was most interesting."

Chronos's look indicated that he was more amused about the situation then their mother was. Both Axiom and Datum cringed as they both knew what that meant.

Cultural contamination. They had been busted.

Datum was the first one to build up the courage to explain. "Dad, we can explain… we were trying to practice making fire like you showed us. Then…"

"The flyer saw you, you made up a lame excuse for what you were doing, and now Seeker's pack is playing the 'twist a stick in a small hole' game?" Logos finished, "Does that about sum it up?"

Both children bowed their heads. That was all of the confirmation that the parents needed.

Though the children did not see it, their mother quickly took on a softer expression as both parents gestured for the children to join them in the cavern. It was time for a family discussion.

"I am proud of you children for not willingly giving knowledge away to the others, but both of you were a bit careless with the fire." Logos noted as the family sat at their usual places in the sleeping area.

Chronos nodded. "Fire is a dangerous tool, children. It is something that we have shown you in case of emergency… if things get too cold… if you need to cauterize a wound…"

"Cot-a-what?" Axiom inquired.

"It is something that you hopefully will never have to use, dear," Logos answered, "But what your father is saying is that there are times when it might be necessary for survival. But we cannot be practicing this around the valley. Someone might see it… and then who knows what could happen?"

The children exchanged a glance before Datum asked the obvious question. "What could happen?"

Chronos shook his head. "Remember how I told you children how much the spear changed things when Petrie saw us with them?"

The children nodded. It had changed everything.

Chronos's eyes turned dark. "Let's just say… the power of fire is not something that one would want to give to their enemies..."

"But, Dad… the valley has no enemies. You all killed them, right?" Axiom inquired.

Logos sighed. "Sometimes, children, enemies have a tendency to pop up where you least expect them."

* * *

 **Thanks for the feedback, everyone! (: Chapter 16 is going to be a multi-parter due to the amount of material involved. You can expect the second part in the next week or so. In the meantime, I have also posted another entry for the Gang of Five prompt challenge which you might be interested in. In provides a perspective on how Ruby and chomper managed to convince the valley to let them in prior to the television series. And, as always, I welcome your reviews and constructive criticism.**

 **gordhanx : **Thank you for the detailed review as always. I greatly enjoyed writing the challenge scene where Orchid officially joined the pack; it followed the similar scenes with Mender quite well, though, as she was already trusted and had proven herself, she could skip the challenge herself. Now though Orchid will have to learn what pack life truly means. In this chapter he tried to prove himself a bit too much, and was reprimanded for his actions. Though, as Nahoda is quickly learning, mated life is quite different as well. It is obvious what Arial has in mind with the 'names' conversation... and he still has to meet Seeker's pack. Needless to say, he is going to have an interesting time in the chapters ahead.

 **bryan mccloud : **True, I did give away what Mender's choice was, though she already did so in the 'present scenes' as well. The main struggle here is how she resolves the resulting tension with her former packmates... and the future complications that this could lead to.

 **Keijo6 : **Indeed, it did not escape Historian and I's notice that the chapter was a bit slow. It was a case of either cutting out important character development to speed things up, or to have a chapter that lags a bit. It is one of the weaknesses of basing a story from a roleplay, I suppose. As for interesting developments, you are certainly on the right track... this is the beginning of a chapter that will soon escalate in importance. in many ways chapter 16 (part 1) can be thought of as a prologue to the main plot of the story.


	19. Chapter 16 (p2): A Path Crossed

**-v-**

 **Chapter 16: A Path crossed (Part 2)**

 ** _"The difference between tactics and strategy is that tactics are the means to acquire the immediate objective, whereas strategy is the larger overall plan to obtain the long-term objectives. Never let your focus on your immediate surroundings make you lose sight of the distant vistas, and never let your tactics give away your larger strategy to the watchful enemy."_**

 **Consortium cadet training manual,**

 **Preface to lesson 476**

* * *

 **The Mysterious Beyond:**

"So um… you sister is one of _her_ kind?"

The pink fastrunner snorted. "Yes, Dear. My sister has teeth and claws, and I am sure will just love to eat you up… with affection."

Nahoda glared at his mate playfully. "I am beginning to think that you enjoy watching me suffer, Dear."

 _Is Nahoda still mad about me wanting to eat him?_ Mender wondered, having overheard the conversation, _I told him I wasn't going to. Though he does smell delicious._

"Well I know that I sure do, Nahoda!" Orchid noted as he patted him on the shoulder before walking back in formation behind Mender. Nahoda rolled his eyes at the display. It was obvious from his now calm reaction around Mender that his fear about Ruby was more familiar than existential.

"It will be nice to see my sister again," Arial noted, "We haven't seen her since Dein and Terri were here."

Orchid nodded. "It was great to see them for the first time in Cold Times. I just wish the meeting didn't involve everyone nearly killing one another."

Which made Mender consider an awkward meeting that she would soon have as well.

"I haven't seen them since I left," Mender said, "I hope they're fine with me coming back after all this time. I never got a chance to visit until now."

Instantly every member of her pack whipped around to stare at the fastbiter in shock.

"Why wouldn't they, Mender?" Buse asked with confusion, "We have been trading words and songs with them for many Cold Times."

Cynnil nodded. "You may not have been there in person, but you were there in spirit, and this is what matters."

"It's not the same," Mender objected, "They sometimes hear about what I've done, but that is very different from actually being able to talk to me."

"Well then answer me this, Mender, how do you think Arial and Orchid reacted when they met Ponder for the first time since they were little runners?" Cynnil asked, "Did her family push her away?"

"That's completely different. That was family."

Orchid smiled. "Most of Seeker's pack are not family; they were different kinds before the stone got them, but they still consider one another family. Why wouldn't they consider you the same?"

"Besides the pack still includes you in their song," Cynnil added, "Sure sounds like they consider you family to me."

"They do?" Mender asked.

Cynnil smiled. "Did you think that when we sing your pack's song that we were simply adding a few verses? I kept it as true to the original as I could gather from the messengers during the last Full Night Circle of the Cold Time."

She then edged closer to her packmate with an amused expression. "You might have heard them if you weren't too busy helping out that flyer."

"What? The kid was sick. His mom was almost worse. She couldn't seem to decide whether to let me help or peck me to death."

"I wasn't criticizing, Mender, I was explaining," Cynnil clarified, "Though I think that perhaps our newest packmate might need to be caught up on your song."

She gestured at Orchid who was suddenly quite enthused.

"Yeah, you mentioned how you joined Seeker's pack, but not what happened to your brother and Staza." He paused for a moment. "Have you seen them since…?"

"I've seen them a couple of times since their eggs hatched," Mender answered, "One of their kids nearly gave Staza a panic attack." _My reaction was probably worse, though._

Nahoda tilted his head. "What happened there?"

"One of her kids pretty much had my coloration," Mender replied. _Or way too close for anyway._

Orchid could easily read the subtext of what that meant in terms of smell-blindness and quickly intervened before Nahoda could ask another question. "Are they doing alright now?"

"They're fine. The kids I might call a bit too curious, but they're fine."

"Kind of like my sister's pack then?" Arial noted with humor, "Curiosity certainly led them to their fair share of trouble."

"They actually got their first real safety lecture from me," Mender admitted, "They didn't hide when they first saw me. Granted, I was with my brother, but still..." _If I had let Verant do it, he'd still be lecturing them for it today._

"Oh no, you didn't train them, did you?" Nahoda asked as Arial forced his beak shut playfully.

"If they ever try to hunt you, you'll wish I had. Had my brother been going after you you wouldn't have known he was there until he had his jaws around your throat," Mender replied, purposefully putting on as menacing display as she could. Nahoda was the only dinosaur that knew who she was and still acted afraid of her. It was too much fun to pass up on.

It was at this point that Cynnil decided to have mercy on Mender's favorite victim.

"So I do believe you left off on you joining Seeker's pack and being welcomed, perhaps it is time to focus on your brother's side of the story?"

Mender smiled as the pack continued across the grassy plain. "Yes, as Leap seems to have a talent for he managed to invite my brother's ire. In this case he earned the safety lecture." She then gave Orchid a long look. "And... Orchid?"

The fastrunner gave her his undivided attention. "Yes, Mender?"

Mender's eyes radiated humor. "You might notice something similar about the naming. Sometimes I get my best ideas from songs."

Orchid didn't have time to ask a question before Mender resumed her tune.

 **As Leap hid in his high abode,**

 **His sister continued to search through the unknown**

 **Unwilling to let her quarry escape,**

 **She did not notice the approach of fate**

* * *

 **The past:**

Leap held fast to the tree as he kept watch for any sign of his pursuer. He was the master of this game, and he was not going to be discovered without a struggle. He had covered his scent with stinkweed, waded through the stream, and then climbed up the large tree. Now he only had to outlast his sister and he would again win at Hunter and Prey.

The fact that this was a children's game did not dissuade him.

"Now where did he go?" Swift asked to not one in particular as she sniffed the ground. This game had been a mainstay of the siblings ever since they had been orphaned, and she took it almost like a pack rite. It was a way to remember her parents, and the childhood that had been cut short.

It was this scene that Dodger and Tracker stumbled upon. Their reaction was typical of their own life experience. They both tensed up and started to hide themselves, searching with both sight and smell for what Swift might be looking for. If she were hunting, they didn't want to get in the way. If it were anything else, they wanted to figure out what was going on before interfering.

"You know, Brother, that I will find you eventually," Swift taunted in the hopes that Leap might be surprised and accidently give his location away, "You can't hide from my sniffer forever."

"Should we help?" Tracker asked.

"You can offer," Dodger said. Before Tracker had a chance to reply he started to move away, intent on disappearing. _Time to find Leap myself._

Leap clutched to the tree as he stared down at where his sister continued to search. That was when he saw two flashes of color in the distance. A flash of blue and another of green. _Um… Sis, it is not part of the game to have helpers!_

Swift was unaware of the new arrivals as she began to inspect the trees around her, _I wonder if he went up a tree again. That bastard always wants to play dirty!_ she smiled though at the challenge this involved, _that will just make my victory all the sweeter._

Having quickly lost track of Dodger, Tracker moved towards Swift, intent on asking if she wanted help but deciding to practice her stalking before then. She carefully moved so that she was somewhat behind and definitely downwind of Swift and moved closer.

Dodger, meanwhile, had thought he'd seen movement in a tree and investigated, being as quiet as possible. _Leap, you're crazy. There's no good way to retreat from up a tree._

 _Ah, shit,_ Leap thought as he began to shake despite himself. Even though he and Dodger had had a resolution of sorts, the idea that he appeared to be stalking him did not make him feel safe. As he got closer, his nervousness only grew.

"You're an idiot, you know that," Dodger whispered to Leap once he reached the tree, "Worst hiding spot ever."

Leap sighed as the tree began to sway under both of their weight, "It is an old game that my sister and I play. I only have to hide until she gives up." He then gave Dodger a sardonic look despite his nervousness. "Besides, I am supposed to act like prey right now, and prey can be stupid sometimes."

"Not this stupid. I should know. I've _been_ prey," Dodger answered, "Stupid two-footers."

Leap looked down. "Calin… being food would have been kinder," Dodger had not been the only one to experience being on the other end of the chase.

"I still wish I could've helped kill him," Dodger said, barely able to keep himself quiet, "He got off easy if you ask me. He can't die enough times to make up for what he did."

Leap continued to look down as he noticed one of those victims of Calin get rather close to his sister. "Oh come on, sis. How can you not see Tracker coming at you?"

Dodger said nothing but did smile at how Tracker continuously kept herself concealed.

Tracker, for her part, crept up on Swift until she was close enough to touch the other fastbiter. _Maybe I should say 'hi' now._

Swift heard the breathing behind her and immediately turned around in a defensive position. "Ha! Found you, broth… what?" That was when she noticed that the fastbiter in front of her most certainly was not her brother.

"Hi," Tracker said awkwardly, embarrassed at being caught. She stood up carefully. _Ow. Too much tension. Not enough practice._

"Ha, looks like we both got caught, sis!" Swift looked up as she heard the voice of her brother from the tree above. She was surprised not to see one, but two fastbiters clinging to the tree, causing it to noticeably sway. Her brother soon finished his statement, "Perhaps we should just call today a draw, huh?"

Swift rolled her eyes. "I will get you next time, brother."

"You wish, sis!" came the response.

Swift shook her head. "I can see why they call you Tracker."

"Thanks. I sort of grew into it; I didn't actually earn it," Tracker admitted. While she could lie for a joke, Tracker had never once managed to intentionally say something that wasn't true and not be at least under suspicion.

Swift snorted. "Well, birth names are like that. I used to be called Slender Tail, even though my tail well…" She gestured with her relatively fat tail. "...I earned the name Swift right before my parents fell in a hunt."

Tracker cringed in sympathy. She refrained from telling about her own family, at least for the moment. Making uninvited comparisons didn't feel right.

It was then that Leap lived up to his namesake by jumping from the tree he was clinging to another, and then to another. Within a few moments he landed right beside his sister.

"Brother! How many times must I tell you to stop doing that!" Swift protested, deciding not to give him the safety lecture again.

Leap shrugged. "I wouldn't know, I never listened." He dodged the playful bite that he knew was coming. But that was when he saw Tracker. "Oh… hello," he offered awkwardly. With their histories that made this meeting quite awkward.

"Show off," Dodger muttered, having half slid, half fell out of the tree thanks to Leap's sudden departure from and the subsequent shift of the tree. He moved to stand beside his mate.

"Oh crap! I'm sorry, Dodger." He had not intended to risk Dodger in his attempt to show off and annoy his sister. "I should have been more careful."

"Judging by your choice of hiding place, I'd have to agree. Ever heard of getting trapped?" Dodger was reluctant to let that topic go. _Where did you get this idea? It practically screams 'death'._

Swift looked at Dodger. "Well, it is a game, Dodger."

Leap was hesitant to defend himself but attempted to do so anyway. "If I were being pursued by one attacker then I could do what I just did to get down and have a head start, even if I was found. But, yes, if I were being chased by a pack then going up a tree would be stupid, except as a last resort."

"If you had only one pursuer you could just kill him," Dodger said as if it were the most obvious option, "With a group you'd need to disappear first then come around behind them and start picking off the stragglers." _Had to do that once or twice. Okay, maybe more than twice._

Leap remained silent as he considered Dodger's words. They were the reflections from a fastbiter who had a bloody past. Though Leap and Swift had their share of battles beside Littlefoot and the others, they had previously tried to go with the flow. This had earned them a place in Calin's pack, and the disaster of trying to flee from it.

"It is better to be in a pack, and not to have to do either on your own," Swift offered diplomatically, "But, I'm sorry, you two must have wanted to talk to Thud..." She turned to walk towards where she had last seen her pack leader.

"I was actually hoping I would get a chance to talk to you guys," Tracker said to Swift, though she gestured to Leap as well, "I haven't had a chance to do so, so I thought I'd try to make one."

Swift stopped as she turned back towards Dodger and his mate. "Oh, well that is certainly alright. I, um… never mind, that would be improper to ask."

"Go ahead and ask," Tracker said. _It's not like you don't already know the one thing I'm truly embarrassed about._

Swift looked away before asking, "I know that Thud expressed interest in having you in our pack. Have you made a decision?"

Leap spoke next, hoping to clarify things, "It would be an honor to have both of you, despite… um… our initial awkward meeting."

"I'd rather not do that again," Tracker said, "That was embarrassing." _I hope Taunt's the only one that figured out why I was so panicked. I'm probably not that lucky, though._

Swift nodded. "We all have had difficult pasts, but fate has decided that we should meet as something other than enemies. Regardless of what you choose, I am glad of that."

"Thanks," Tracker said, a bit embarrassed at the amount of attention she was getting.

"I guess I'm going to talk to Thud," Dodger said, taking that as his cue to leave. Tracker nodded in acknowledgement.

Leap watched the pack leader leave as he departed to find Thud. "I am pretty sure that he is by his sleeping area. Would you like me to summon him, sir?" The change in tone was obvious. "Or did he tell you to meet him personally?" He tried to be polite, but he knew that he would be derelict in his duties if he allowed a non-pack member to interrupt his pack leader if he were busy. Certain protocols had to be maintained.

"It might be best if you at least checked to see if he wanted to see me. I can't remember what he said about this at the moment, so it's probably best to be overcautious here," Dodger said.

Leap nodded formally but then spoke with some humor, "I am sure more pressing matters were on your mind, I will return shortly, sir." He then sprinted off in the direction of his pack leader. Within moments he was nowhere to be seen.

"Don't worry, Thud isn't extremely strict, but he is strict about his sleeping area," Swift explained, "There are a lot of 'please wake up, sir's on some mornings. He can't seem to yell at Leap when he wakes him up with a 'sir'." She chuckled slightly.

"As long as we're not the ones getting blamed when something goes wrong when Thud's at fault, I think we can handle strict," Dodger said.

Swift nodded. "Thud is seldom wrong, but he doesn't blame any of us when he is. I mean he is Taunt's dad, so he is pretty good-natured."

"Good to hear," Dodger said.

"Swift, you didn't happen to hear anything about our old pack leader, did you?" Tracker asked, curious as to what Swift might know about her pack's past.

"I only know what I have heard from the others. Prowler did not seem to be a friendly biter," she admitted, "I also was told that all of you are orphans, like my brother and I. We had just earned our adult names from our pack when our parents and uncles were killed."

"My pack got attacked by two-footers. Not sure what happened to everyone else, but Violet, Prowler, and I got swept down a river," Dodger explained.

"My pack got completely wiped out. I'm all that's left," Tracker said, "I was at my eighth Cold Time. I'm thirteen now if you count Cold Times, twelve if you go by my hatch day." _That's actually a bit disturbing when I say it out loud._

Swift bowed her head respectfully. "Were you able to learn their songs?"

Tracker nodded. "I was the smallest in my pack, so I spent more time by myself listening to the adults sing than most of the others. I guess it was worth the effort; I know most of them by heart."

Swift smiled. "That is good to hear. As long as we remember our ancestors then they can live on in our thoughts. I know that my brother and I often sing Verok's favorite song when I watch the stars at night. I know that he enjoys it wherever he currently is."

"I still sometimes wonder why I'm the only one that survived. I really shouldn't have. Wouldn't have, actually, without Dodger. He found me and actually forced Prowler to let me join the pack." _I will not be describing just how ugly that got unless you_ really _want to know,_ Tracker mentally added.

Swift hesitated before looking at Dodger. "You forced your pack leader to take her in? Did you have to challenge him?" _If he did then how wasn't he the new pack leader from then on? Or dead?_

"Threatened to," Dodger said, "At the time, Prowler had as much authority as I agreed he did. Violet and he didn't get along in the slightest, and she wasn't going to listen to Prowler unless I made her. Prowler and I were also closer in size. Plus, we were kids. Arguing was a lot easier than fighting. Once Prowler got a lot bigger, we started having more problems. But that was later."

"I see," Swift muttered as she considered this information, "So all of you survived as a pack of children? For how many years?" _Many child packs don't survive a season._

"Five," Dodger and Tracker said at the same time.

Swift's mouth hang agape as she didn't even attempt to hide her shock. "No wonder why you had to be taught some adult things… I… wow." She shook her head. "That puts what you told Leap in more perspective."

Dodger and Tracker looked as Swift quizzically, then at each other, unsure which of them she was directly addressing.

"Which 'you'?" Tracker asked, gesturing to both herself and her mate.

"Uh..." Swift hesitated, "Dodger, your mentioning of how to pick enemies off one by one. You have had to do that, haven't you?"

"Um, a few times."

Swift noticeably hesitated. "My brothers and I survived for a season until Calin found us. Though we had enough sense to separate before he found us so he didn't realize that we were related." She visibly shuddered. "But Verok soon fell after we left that bastard's pack, and Leap and I were all that remained. Had Seeker's pack not taken us in then we would have been done for. We never fought for our lives until Thud and Seeker's pack taught us how."

"I'm starting to envy you," Dodger muttered, not entirely intending to be heard. _Learning by experience is not fun when failure equals death._

"You never had to fight?" Tracker asked, disbelieving. She'd never really had to personally fight, but Dodger had been in more fights than she could count.

Swift shook her head. "No, and neither did Leap. Verok was able to buy us time on the few occasions when we were chased by another pack, but mainly we just ran away," she frowned, "But with Calin's pack, running wasn't an option. At least not until later."

Tracker nearly replied in agreement but stopped herself. _My little escape would've failed without them. It nearly failed_ with _their help._ She unconsciously grabbed her arm, remembering when she dislocated it.

"It was only after you left that we realized that we might have a chance. Redclaw was readying for the final battle so we knew that he could only use some of his resources against us." Swift looked down. "But that was enough to require my brother to be put down rather than suffer Calin's wrath."

"I almost didn't run myself. If there hadn't been a cliff nearby I wouldn't have risked it. I'm not very fast. Never have been."

Swift took a deep breath. The next question would be awkward, but it was better if she asked it than Leap. "Will both of you be alright working with us? I… realize that… um… there is some history between us." _That is a fucking understatement,_ Swift berated herself. "Leap is not like how you saw him in the other pack… he simply had no choice unless he wanted to become the one that would be used. I still remember nudging him afterwards to make him stop shaking when it was time to sleep. We couldn't allow him to show any weakness to the others for his own sake."

Tracker remained silent for a bit, unsure how to respond. _I wonder if I should tell her about how I reacted once I got back to my pack. Or would I come across as weak?_

"I don't think we'll have any problems. I actually caused plenty of my own when I got back to my pack." For Tracker those memories had both embarrassment and humor attached. None of it was funny at the time, but she found her contradictory wish to be left alone and to never be far from her packmates to be quite hilarious in retrospect.

Swift nodded before slightly shifting her gaze towards Dodger.

"I'm following her lead on this. If she doesn't have a problem, I don't either," Dodger said.

Swift nodded with obvious relief. "I am sorry to bring it up, but I had to make sure." She then laughed slightly, though with a bit of awkwardness. "Now the only thing we have to worry about is deciding rank."

Tracker motioned for Swift to follow her a slight ways away. _There might be a problem here, and I want to make sure she understands why. Without embarrassing Dodger by having the discussion around him, of course._

Swift did not immediately speak as she followed Tracker to where she directed, but instead she tilted her head slightly in inquiry.

"If we're supposed to do that by fighting we might have a problem," Tracker said bluntly.

Swift did not speak for a moment as she debated how to phrase her next statement. "I would imagine that my brother will consider his recent sparring loss to Dodger as settling who is higher ranked between them," she then hesitated awkwardly, "But… um… I guess that leaves us two."

"In that case, I lose," Tracker said, trying to sound both serious and light-hearted at the same time.

Swift snorted. "I am sure that the pack will have a spar for training at some point, and we can resolve it there, but I don't think there are many doubts as to how things will turn out. Though I will probably be sore after facing Dodger. He gave Leap quite a beating."

"Just to warn you, I think Dodger was going a bit easy on Leap. I saw him hold back a few times where he shouldn't have." _I think he was trying not to look like he wanted to beat Leap to death._

Swift smiled. "He noticed, but he appreciated the gesture." She then scratched her head. "I suppose we will need to make sure that our claws are well-covered in mud for that spar, and that there are no trees around," her reference to the Dodger-Littlefoot fight clearly indicated her concern about what could happen when emotions ran wild.

"If we've got to spar," Tracker said carefully, trying not to shift to a pleading tone, "just don't pin me. I… I don't react well."

Swift nodded as she began to walk back towards an awkward-looking Dodger. "Don't worry. We score by hits, just like Seeker's pack. Unless either of you would prefer to do it by pin, we will just do it the other way."

"Thanks," Tracker said, relieved that she wouldn't be risking a panic attack in the future.

It was then the a familiar scent carried on the wind, which was followed by footsteps shortly thereafter. Within moments the confident-looking form of Thud came walking towards the group, with Leap walking close behind, his head unbowed, but his body postured in a respectful manner. The proper gesture for a messenger, or a second-in-command.

A position that he knew that he would be losing shortly.

Running largely on instinct, Tracker hurried to get behind Dodger. She tried to cover it up by shifting to a more respectful position, but both she and Dodger knew she'd been trying to hide. It had been what she used to do when Prowler showed up unexpectedly.

Thud noted the odd reaction but kept silent for a moment. It was not until Swift had settled in right beside her brother that he addressed the two fastbiters.

"Greetings, Dodger and Tracker. Leap told me that you wanted to see me?" He knew full well what this was about, but he would follow the usual traditions. _Besides, Dodger and Tracker seem to favor the traditional way._

Dodger took a small step forward as he lowered his head slightly in a respectful gesture, which was replicated by Thud. The standard greeting between pack leaders on good terms.

"Thank you for seeing us," Dodger said, feeling a bit like he was being an inconvenience by having had Leap ask Thud to come see him rather than check to see if it were okay to approach. _I'll need to ask about the rules later._

"It is not a problem," Thud responded but refrained from saying more. Since Dodger had done the summoning it was on him to make the next move.

Dodger considered making the necessary gesture outright but didn't want to leave Tracker hurrying to catch up. He turned to his mate. "Final chance to back out."

"Since when do you back out?" Tracker teased, but she nodded in silent agreement with her mate's intention.

Thud heard the silent exchange and gave a slight growl at his two packmates. A soft signal to tell them to get ready to accept the submission gesture. Otherwise, he remained expressionless and stoic as the solemn event demanded.

With surprisingly good timing for a movement they'd never practiced doing simultaneously, Dodger and Tracker managed to make nearly identical bows to Thud. Much to Tracker's embarrassment, she found herself having to use her hands to catch herself at the end to avoid being entirely on the ground.

Thud walked over to the bowed fastbiters and carefully placed his hands on each of them one by one. Then, the formal gesture of acceptance having been made, he spoke, "Arise."

Both fastbiters did so, though Tracker was being visibly careful with her movements now. _It just had to happen to me, didn't it?_ she berated herself.

"I appreciate the gesture, and it is my honor to accept you into the pack." Thud finally allowed himself to smile as he sniffed each of the new packmates in turn. The traditional greeting of new members was now in full swing.

 _This must have been_ really _awkward for Violet_ , Dodger thought to himself, _especially with having so many new packmates. Hopefully it didn't make her think about her sniffer too much._

"Hello again," Swift teased as she took her turn to sniff her new packmates, "In your parent's pack did you ever do this ritual?" The question was directed to them both.

"I saw it once," Dodger said, "Not for real, but as part of acting out what happened in a song." Tracker just shook her head 'no'.

"Well don't worry," Leap spoke as he sniffed Tracker, an awkward situation for them both, "There is not really a set ritual for this besides being friendly and sniffing."

Swift snorted. "And Seeker barely kept to the rituals anyway."

Thud rolled his eyes, "Though that was a special case where my situation was a bit undefined." he then laughed softly."I was a pack leader, but taking orders from Seeker, and living on Dein and Terri's land. So some of the rituals were dispensed with."

Dodger couldn't help a slight cringe at the mention of Dein and Terri. He was pretty sure they would be most unhappy to see him again.

"Well then! I do think that before we leave that we should provide a gift to our hosts, should we not?" Thud suggested, "But first there is something else we must attend to."

Leap remained silent as he took his place beside Thud once more, aware that his position would soon change, _here comes the naming ritual._ Swift took a position beside Leap as well, as the ritual demanded. This would entirely be up to Thud.

 _Well, I guess I'm about to lose the last of what my family gave me,_ Tracker thought with an odd mixture of sadness and excitement. While there was much in her life that she loved, there was also plenty she wanted to leave in the past. Having her name changed would help with that. Dodger was having similar thoughts.

Thud stepped forward and looked Dodger in the eyes. "What do you know of this ritual?"

"Almost nothing," Dodger admitted. _There's far too much that I don't know._

Thud nodded. "Traditionally the naming is done by someone that you know after one's first hunt." He then bowed his head slightly. "I regret that I do not know you all that well, which is something that I hope to resolve soon, but I think that I know someone who does. Which is why I discussed this matter with Seeker this morning."

Dodger tried not to look slightly startled. There was a good bit about himself that he'd told Littlefoot. There was also a great deal that he hadn't, including some things he had never told anyone, not even Tracker.

"He held your conversations in confidence, but he did suggest some names. It is with that in mind that I tell you that although I will give you your names today, you have been named by Seeker." He then looked Dodger in the eyes as he gestured for Tracker to move to Dodger's right side.

Tracker hurried to comply. _Okay, I'm a bit confused. But I've never done this before so I should just pay attention._

"Tracker," Thud spoke with a formal voice as he touched her on the shoulder. His words were not a question, but a statement. An acknowledgement of her old name one last time.

 _That sounds oddly important. Why do I feel like that's the last time I'll hear my name?_

"Dodger," he spoke again as he touched Dodger on the shoulder. He felt odd doing this. Normally a pack leader would already have an adult name, but Dodger's pack was no ordinary pack.

 _Well, there's definitely no going back now_ , Dodger thought.

"Dodger," Thud spoke with an odd cadence to his voice, "You have been protecting your packmates since you were a child. Despite constantly being uncertain about yourself, and blaming yourself for all of the problems that have arisen, you have been there for the people under your care."

 _Less than pleasant story of my life. Can't entirely disagree with that summary._

"Your old name, Dodger, no longer fits. As you have not dodged your responsibilities, but rather faced them head-on. For that reason, you shall henceforth be called 'Verant'. The one who does what must be done, regardless of personal cost.

Dodger stood up fully. _That's going to take some getting used to. 'Verant'. Never would've come up with that on my own._

Thud smiled as he turned towards Tracker and placed his hands on her shoulders.

 _How did Violet get through this? I'm nervous enough I could faint_ , Tracker thought, _Hopefully I won't get a name that's too silly._

"Tracker, you have lived up to your childhood name to the best of your ability, seeing things that others miss. Like Violet and Dodger, you have been orphaned by fate, with your songs and your childhood name being the only vestiges of your beloved parents that remain…"

Tracker tried not to let her sadness at those memories show on her face. She was pretty sure she wasn't succeeding. She had more control than her self-declared sister, but saying she had more control than Violet was like saying she could smell better than Violet. Neither were accomplishments.

"As one who has lived up to her name, it would seem appropriate to acknowledge this, but a new name denied is an adulthood denied," Thud explained in a solemn tone, "For this reason you shall be called, 'Staza', which means Tracker in the hidden runner dialect. Your name is now that of an adult, but the vestiges of your given name remain in spirit. That part of your parents you will never have to lose."

 _'Staza'. Well, at least Hidden Runners will know who I am. This is… wow. I didn't entirely lose my name._ She didn't say anything, but anyone whose sniffer was working could figure out that Tracker was extremely happy with her new name.

Thud could smell the contentment from Tracker, which relieved him greatly, _Nice suggestions, Seeker. It beats my original ideas of 'Defense' and 'Serenity'. But why are they not speaking… oh right… they don't know that they are allowed to._

"You both can speak now, by the way," he smiled with good humor, "You are now adults in name, and adults can speak their minds."

"Well, I've got a feeling I'm going to be messing up my mate's name for a bit," Dodger said, "even if it does mean the same thing." _Which might make it worse._

"It also means a song verse in the hidden runner dialect, as they consider singing the act of tracking the truth through song," Leap smiled, "But I am sure even the hidden runners would understand the context."

"It would fit either way," Tracker said, laughing at the surprising connection between herself and both meanings of her name, "Singing was the only thing even Prowler would admit I was good at."

Thud looked relieved, "Well, I am glad that Seeker picked the names then!" He then looked at Dodger. "And Dodg… hrmph, caught myself, Verant, how do you like your new name?"

"I'm hoping I can live up to it," Dodger said, not entirely sure his name wouldn't become an ironic mockery of himself.

Swift smiled. "I am sure that you will. Speaking of which, didn't we have a responsibility to attend to?"

Thud nodded. "Indeed we do! Come along, everyone, and let's see if we can catch some prey for our hosts. I am sure they will appreciate the gesture."

As Leap took his place immediately behind Thud, he hesitated and gestured for Dodger to approach.

Dodger walked so that he was directly beside Leap. "I haven't earned that," he said with a shove, pushing Leap back towards his original destination.

Leap nodded. "But you will. When it is time all you must do is ask for it." He then looked towards Tracker and Swift, who both seemed somewhat surprised by his actions. "But until then… come along, everyone! We have our orders!"

As the pack departed for their hunt they had no idea that the other pack had much the same idea.

* * *

 **The present, hidden runner territory:**

Verdant feathers shifted behind the tall grass as golden eyes gleamed in the starlight. Only the most observant dinosaur would have seen the approaching danger if they had been looking at that instant, but they were gone as soon as they had appeared.

Hunters could not afford to be in one place for too long.

The pink Oviraptor was unaware of any dangers as she cradled her eggs under her body. The burden of laying the eight orbs had taken its toll, but now the welcome coming of the night had brought her sanctuary. She was sound asleep on her developing children. A family in waiting through the uncertain night.

The hidden runner raised an arm as another passed him a spear. He was well aware of his orders. The fastrunner was not the target of their wrath on this night, but she was the necessary distraction.

As he gripped the wooden instrument of death in his hands he counted his breaths. His timing needed to be just right. He could not start the distraction until the dirty work had already begun.

 _We want to distract the fastbiter, not alert the dead._

* * *

 _"Interesting... Not so talkative now, are you?"_

 _Wrok watched as the useful female flailed as he tightened the vines around her neck. She was nothing special, just the wench of someone who had bothered to betray him, but her death would be enough to quiet opposition. Even those who were willing to risk their lives for a cause think twice when it is their loved ones who would pay the price._

 _"Looks like this might be useful! What do you say, dear?"_

 _The female was silent, her movements becoming less frantic now. Despite his enjoyment of leadership's little pleasures, he was not one to let an opportunity pass him by. Disposing of his own kind was far different than dealing with a leaf-eater, and she had provided him with the perfect opportunity to test his idea. With a hidden runner's voice box in their lungs even a bite to the neck would not silence a foe from making a final call…. but cutting off the air from the outside..._

 _Wrok smiled as the female slumped unconscious. Not a single word or call had escaped her beak since the vines came into play._

 _He allowed her body to drop to the ground. She was not yet dead, but that was all the better._

 _The remaining few days of her life would give his squad plenty of opportunities to refine their technique._

The grass parted as a pair of yellow eyes stared across the clearing. The eyes peered on the surroundings with a cursory glance before giving the slightest of nods. Then three additional pairs of eyes appeared.

Wrok had found his target.

The steam appeared in front of them. This was the dividing line that supposedly had foiled his would-be allies in their attempt to expand their territory. Being fearful of patrols they had always attempted incursions across the water, but Wrok had a better idea. They would lie close to the rocks and follow the roughened rocks straight into what the opposing pack thought was their safest point and where he hoped the leaders would be asleep.

Without a word they advanced upon the stones, keeping their bodies so low that they hugged the rocks. Water washed upon them as they struggled to avoid falling into the rushing water. But this precarious position had its own advantages.

* * *

Ari walked along the edge of the water, only halfheartedly glancing across the stream. He didn't see any point in paying too much attention. After all, who was going to try to cross the stream when doing so would make so much noise it would attract the entire pack's attention?

After a quick glance at some rocks and seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Ari moved on with his patrol, all the while wishing that he would be relieved soon so he could get some rest.

"A quiet night?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Ari blurted out, surprised that he was no longer alone.

Alon rolled her eyes as she patted Ari on the shoulder. She had been deputy long enough to know when it was time to change shifts.

"Well, it has been since Verant decided to help. How about you go rest, Ari?" She yawned despite her best attempt to hold it in. "And I might do the same. It is time for the Night Circle patrol to take over."

"I was starting to think they forgot about us," Ari said as he rather gladly took Alon's suggestion to heart.

Alon watched the young hidden runner retreat with an amused shake of her head. In many ways the young pack members reminded her of herself back in her younger days.

She felt her distended abdomen as she watched the stream wash against the rocks. She knew that she would soon have younger pack members of her own to tend to. Like most of the females she had tended to the call of her instincts when the Wet Times had come.

"Another quiet night. Let's go to the sleeping area, children."

She had no idea those would be her last words.

* * *

The sound of shifting grass promptly ended his slumber.

The male opened his eyes with concern until he noticed the tell-tale pale green of the female settle into her sleeping area. It was just Alon.

He sighed deeply as he attempted to settle in for a return to slumber. He had once considered taking his deputy for his own mate, but that seed had already sprouted. At least she could raise her children in peace in the fertile lands across the river. It was a testament to his leadership that the rival pack had appeared to settle their ambitions. Perhaps, one day, the two packs could even coexist in peace.

He closed his eyes. Such concerns were for another day. They could wait until his sleep stories.

* * *

Wrok held his breath to a whisper as he carefully stepped through the grass. There was no room for error in this endeavor. He had no doubt that he could escape if detected, but if his chosen few failed in this task then his new allies would look elsewhere for assistance.

And that was not an option.

The sound of snoring echoed in his ears as he carefully examined the various sounds. There were at least a dozen hidden runners to his left, undoubtedly under the trees that obscured the stars in the distance, whereas there were the sounds of footstep to his right.

 _The other patrol is checking the stream... Too late, you fools._

Wrok raised a hand as his three companions froze and fell to the ground as if struck dead. He then carefully crouched down and peered through the grass from the bottom of the stems. That was when he saw the desired sight.

Two hidden runners slept in the distance under a single tree. They were in clear view of the other sleeping areas, but away from any other bodies.

Wrok smiled. This was just what he had trained his companions for.

He looked over to his left and raised a single finger. Within moments the female of the group stepped forward, still crouched to the ground.

With a swift movement, Wrok made a strangling motion over his neck and gestured towards the distant female. As soon as he received a nod of understanding he gestured at himself and made the same gesture directed at the male. All of this being done, he simply smiled and gave them a nod. The suffocators had been selected so there was no need to inform the others of their task.

They would be the stabbers.

He sucked in a breath as he considered the distance. This was not for his benefit, as he felt no fear at what lay ahead, but rather for his companions. They felt those weaknesses that he was blessed enough to avoid. By taking a deep breath he was reminding them to do the same and to let their training take hold. Fearful underlings were not useful.

 _A longneck's length. Five breaths away. Twenty breaths for the kill. Ten breaths for the escape. This may cut it close._

Technically even if they killed them and were noticed then they might still be able to manage an escape and he could secure his new allies, but it would be better to make a clean victory here. Wrok knew the perils of ambitious underlings more than anyone, and he needed to establish his unchallenged dominance from the beginning. His alliance against Ignis would be no good to him if he were dead and some other bastard was on the leader's scrape.

 _At least the obnoxious female is competent._

He gestured at the spear-holders who were now in position for a quiet sprint. They each held a spear under one shoulder, and had their other hand lying on the ground, as if preparing for a race.

He then raised three claws… then two… then one.

 _Now!_

The sudden sensation of wind in his face exhilarated him as he forced his breathing and steps to go in a careful tandem. Quiet was more important than speed in this case, but both were essential. They had to be in and out before anyone awoke to see their handiwork. Just like thunder in the night, they would come without warning and leave no sign of their coming.

As he approached the halfway point to the male he gripped the vine in his hands. He would only get one chance of this. He had to loop it around the bastard's neck and secure it before he could make a sound. Then, of course, he would have to avoid the volley of stabs as his target's lifeblood was exuded like a rainstorm from his eviscerated flesh.

He could hear the female's breathing as he approached the male. It was a slow and steady hum against the gusts of air rushing against his ears. A hum that would soon cease forever.

He slowed as the male came within a few body paces of him. His neck lay prone against the ground, with his clawed hands secured underneath his body. This was the perfect position for him to work his technique. He just had to wait for the last moment.

It was then that he felt a tap on his shoulder, a confirmation that the others were ready over their target. He smiled. It was time for the fun to begin.

It only took a single nod for the murderous deed to commence.

Raising his right arm into the sky he brought the vine down upon the male's neck as if he were whipping it from the ground. Then, before it could make contact, he grabbed the other end and wrapped it around his arm. He had the vine around his neck and his foot on his throat before the male opened his eyes.

An aborted gasp escaped the male's beak as his eyes went wide in horror. The victim barely had time to register the lack of air before the first sound of slicing flesh could be heard. They had timed their assault perfectly.

Wrok struggled to hold the male's head down as blood gushed from the holes in his chest and abdomen. The gusts of warm fluid made a hissing noise which stood out against the peaceful night. Only the heavy breathing of his emotional counterpart interrupted to harmonious sound of death in Wrok's mind. A sad necessity when conducting such work. The last person he wanted working beside him was another such as himself.

He watched with fascination as the male's eyes began to run through a cascade of expressions, some of which he recognized and others he did not. The first was the most boring in his mind, that of fear. It was a useful emotion to have in others, but it was also the most predictable. Then, as the male's body began to spasm, came the look of sorrow. This was accompanied by an almost instinctive glance in the direction of his deputy.

"Don't worry. We got her too." Wrok's whisper barely escaped the wind. "You're all gone. Good riddance."

The hidden runner watched for a few more seconds as the male's expression turned to something that he could not define. Something akin to resignation and defiance all rolled into one. This was a curiosity to him. He had come across enough emotions to replicate most of the motions, but this one still alluded him. What did the doomed think when they did this?

The moment did not last, however, before the male's eyes shot open in the spasms of death. Only the mindless twitching of his body remained, taking the secret of his final emotions with him to the grave.

Wrok frowned. That was one victory denied to him.

He rose from the bloody mess as he looked back at his counterparts. They likewise gleamed red in the light of the Night Circle in front of the remnants of their handiwork. It was time to make their escape.

With a final nod, Wrok gestured towards the grass from which they had come. Within moments they had disappeared into the wind like a breeze in the night.

Only the snores of the living greeted the ears of the dead.

* * *

The scream of the oviraptor shattered the night. In an instant Verant was on his feet, claws and teeth bared for battle.

"We're under attack," Verant stated with surprising calm, "Get the children hidden now!" He didn't wait for his alert mate to respond before he hurried in Ovie's direction.

Staza did not need to be told as she nudged the children forcefully. Partially out of instinct and partially out of training they latched onto her back in a fearful pile. What they had trained for had come to pass.

"What's going on, Momma?" Ungu stammered. While usually the most quiet of the siblings, she was also the most likely to admit she was afraid.

"It sounds like something attacked Ovie!" Staza hissed as she dipped her head below a branch in her headlong sprint, "You children are going to stay in your hiding place until Mom and Dad can make sure everything is okay."

A chorus of "Okay"s and "Yes, ma'am"s were her only acknowledgment. Otherwise the children were uncharacteristically quiet. A frightened hush had fallen over them.

As Staza neared the hill with the hidden crevice she mouthed a wish into the air.

 _Oh Ovie, please be alright._

* * *

The fastrunner fell to the ground with a resounding thud as the green invader kicked her again. It was only when a slick fluid made contact with her leg that she realized what she had fallen upon.

"Ah, crushed one!" The hidden runner mocked with a twisted smile, "As much as you scream…"

Ovie felt the air leave her lungs as another kick landed on her chest.

"...I'm sure that your helpers should be on the way soon. Don't want the boss to be distracted, now do we?"

He did not notice one of his companions look upon the fastrunner with pity. "Grassy, perhaps we should go. The fastbiter will be here soon…"

As if to mock his female companion, Grassy crushed two of the other eggs. Ovie's screams had now degraded into pitiful cries. "Alright, let's go! We need to regroup with the others by the stream."

Ovie struggled to rise as her shaking hands slid on what had once been her future children. Now only the exposed embryos and the shattered yoke gleamed in front of her eyes. A testament to her failure.

Despite her dazed state she could feel the sharp point begin touch her shoulder. She merely closed her eyes. As least her children wouldn't be lonely.

"What the fuck are you doing, you sick bastard! Our job is done; now let's get out of here!"

The hidden runner rolled his eyes as his disgusted companion. "No need to leave loose ends."

He never had time to know what hit him.

In a sudden lurch Grassy felt his spear fly from his hands as an unimaginable force suddenly slammed into his abdomen, taking from him his last breath. Then, with a sudden eruption of pain, he felt pressure building on his head. The final sound that he heard was the resounding crunch of his skull imploding.

Verant let his body fall.

"Shit! It's him!"

In an instant the other hidden runners scrambled to their feet in order to respond to the sudden threat. As three of the hidden runner moved back with their spears raised in defense, another advanced with his spear.

 _Dodge this!_

The hidden runner thrust his spear at the blood-soaked beast with all of the force that he could muster. It was only when he felt the spear collide with the mud that he knew his mistake.

The fastbiter had grabbed the spear!

In terror the hidden runner let go of his now useless weapon and turned back towards the security of his friends. This only earned him a moment's respite as he felt something hard collide with his head.

"Help! I…"

His beak erupted with a garbled gasp as blood rushed from his throat. He only had a moment to register the fatal blow before a sickle claw ended his misery.

The fastbiter jerked the spear out of his fallen enemy's throat almost automatically. Turning towards the remaining three, he hissed in barely controlled rage before rushing his next opponent.

The three hidden runners kept their spears taut in an unbroken line as they watched the enemy approach them with one of their own weapons against them. It was only when the fastbiter's spear was sailing into the air that they realized their folly.

"Ahhh!"

As their left flanker screamed from his chest wound the massive fastbiter landed upon him as if he were prey. As his victim collapsed under the weight, Verant had all of the momentum he needed to attack the now exposed center.

The hidden runners tumbled as Verant kicked the center hidden runner into his companion, sending a confusing mixture of spears and bodies into the mud. It was only when the sound of ripping flesh was heard that the female realized her situation.

She was the only one left.

She forced herself up as she struggled to her feet. It felt as if there was something holding her back, but she did not allow that to slow her. She had to escape from this relentless enemy. Fighting was not longer an option.

She struggled to gain a few body lengths from the enemy as she felt her legs begin to defy her. Now was not the time to give up! She had to go on!

She took a few more steps before she felt herself drag once more. It was only then that she used her hands to feel from whatever was holding her back. That was when she felt it. The sensation of slick wood sticking out of her side.

The female wavered a moment, uneasy on her feet. She felt giddy and lightheaded for a moment as the reality of the situation hit her. She had fallen on her own spear.

When she finally heard the fastbiter approach she didn't bother to resist.

* * *

Verant was barely paying attention when he finished off the last hidden runner. He immediately hurried over to Ovie's side. _Please be alright._

"Ovie!" Verant almost yelled when he reached her side.

The fastrunner coughed as she struggled to catch her breath. Her words were almost indecipherable. "Verant… my children."

Verant glanced over at was left of the once full nest. _Oh Ovie..._ He barely held in a growl of rage. This was soon replaced by a glimmer of hope, however. At the far end of the nest two eggs still remained intact. "Two still remain," Verant told Ovie, almost whispering.

The fastrunner did not answer immediately, but merely began to sob as the reality of the situation reached her. She had lost six children on this day. Six younglings that would never hatch, six younglings who would never feed and cry, six younglings who would never be.

It was simply too much.

"Were there any other Hidden Runners, Ovie?" Verant asked urgently. He hated to be blunt, but now he was hoping to prevent further tragedy.

Ovie did not respond immediately as she continued to sob. She clutched the two remaining eggs in a protective grasp, as if they were the only things that remained in the world.

"Ovie, I know it feels like the world is ending, but you still have two eggs we need to protect. Ovie, are there any more hidden runners?"

The fastrunner continued to sob, and for a moment Verant feared she would not answer, but she finally choked out an answer. "T...They said something about making sure that I screamed. That it would help the rest…" She shook her head as she beat the ground. "Why? Why!"

"I don't know why they did this, Ovie, but I do know that they won't leave here alive." As angry as he was, Verant wished that he had more to give her than vengeance. However, there was not a thing he could do that would bring back her children.

 **Caw!**

"We're under attack!"

"Take your positions!"

 _It's a little late for that, you fools,_ Verant thought angrily, _At least there's still enemies to kill._ He sprinted towards the cries of alarm.

In his wake remained a single fastrunner female, struggling to protect what remained of her family.

* * *

"What the fuck are they doing?"

Wrok watched as his benefactors began the assault early, crossing the stream en masse as the scouting parties sounded the alarm. This was not the plan. The plan was for Wrok and his team to be out of the way before the assault began.

The hidden runner cliched his hands into fists. If he didn't need Questor's alliance then he would have seen to it that he died under his own hand.

"What do we do, sir?"

Wrok resisted the urge to slap his companion as he took a spear from the vines on his back. With the sounds of battle registering all around them it was obvious what they would have to do.

"We fight until we reach the stream! We have no choice now!"

Without another word the team of four began to sprint towards the raging rapids of the stream as the pack of their would-be allies approached. Though, in their headlong rush to avoid the waking enemies behind them they had forgotten one detail: how to avoid being considered the enemy in the dark.

A spear embedding itself in the mud beside him soon reminded Wrok of this complication.

"You fucking idiots! It's us!"

But it was to no avail as the sounds of battle erupted all around them. In front of them stood death by confusion, whereas behind them stood death by battle. They may had killed their leaders but that didn't mean that resistance would fail instantly.

"What now, sir?"

Wrok opened his mouth to speak, but that was when something most unexpected happened.

"Ahhhh!"

"It's the fastbiter!"

Wrok watched as his allies began to fall in the river's currents. He could not see the instrument of their doom, but he could listen to their pathetic screams. It seemed that his new allies had failed in their objective to distract the beast until the mission was over.

 _Serves the idiots right._

"We have an opening!" Wrok gestured at the fleeing hidden runners to his left. "Follow their retreat!"

He began to advance into the water, only to notice no one else was following him. "Come!"

The other hidden runners continued to hesitate as they stared at the black water. "Sir, what if the… ak..." The speaker was promptly cut off as a spear embedded itself in his back. The enemy was nearly upon them.

"Move!"

This time there was no hesitation.

* * *

Staza glanced back towards where her children were hidden, a worried expression on her face. _I wish I knew what was going on. Verant, come back soon._ She moved a bit further away from her children to a much better hiding spot for herself. Or rather ambush spot would be more appropriate. She wasn't letting anything near any of her children while she was still alive.

She did not have to wait long. Staza soon heard voices approaching. Voices she didn't recognize. They didn't seem to realize that anyone else, namely herself, was nearby. _Just like hunting tiny biters,_ she thought grimly.

"Be careful, they might be around here somewhere."

"Shush! Keep your ears open and your mouth shut!"

 _Okay, make that dumber than tiny biters..._ Noticing that one of the hidden runners had fallen two whole fastbiter lengths behind her companion Staza couldn't help but curl her mouth in a predatory smile. _Too easy._

"Stop!" A voice hissed in a whisper. "I think I hear something."

 _Yeah, me._ Nearly silently Staza moved through the tall grass the hidden runners thought they were successfully sneaking through, carefully approaching the straggler.

"Ahhhh!"

The hidden runner twisted his head as he turned towards where he had heard the scream. "Flower?!" He gripped his spear as he began to rear back. "Flower, talk to me!"

Unable to throw a spear accurately no matter how hard she tried, Staza tossed the spear beyond the remaining hidden runner while he was looking the other way.

The hidden runner looked in the direction of the spear in horror. It was only when he noticed where it had landed that he realized his mistake.

Too late.

Staza leapt upon the hidden runner with a feral shriek, her sickle claws digging into his back when she landed. As her momentum continued to carry her forward she clamped her teeth around the hidden runner's throat and started to shake her head back and forth. It was only when the body hung limp in her mouth that she realized that her quarry was dead.

That was when her mate's enraged roar echoed in the night.

Without a word Staza started sprinting towards her mate. There were still enemies to kill. _No one threatens my kids._

* * *

 _How many of you do I have to kill before you get the message?_ Verant wondered as he lunged and snapped the neck of his latest overeager opponent. The next one died just as quickly, notable only for nicking the fastbiter's shoulder with his spear.

 _Nice try, you little..._

That was when his shoulder erupted into pain.

"Got him! Finish him off!" The hidden runner boasted as he began to retreat back to the tall grass. As if on cue another hidden runner advanced, spear in hand.

With one arm currently useless Verant could no longer effectively use a spear. He still picked up a fallen one anyway and fell back, putting a few lengths between himself and his opponent.

The hidden runner kept pace with his opponent, waiting for him to make his move. He had the initiative now that the fastbiter was wounded.

It was only a thud behind him that reminded him that his back was not secure. Being careful to keep his focus ahead, he called to his friend.

"Greentail?"

The only answer he received was a sudden weight upon his back. This was followed by the sensation of fiery pain as his sides were impaled by a flurry of spears.

"Verant, are you alright?"

Staza was upon her mate in an instant as the bloody mess was left behind her. About a dozen or so hidden runners fanned out to either side, as if they were a protective guard.

"I'm fine, Staza," Verant reassured her. He quickly turned serious again. "I need you to get the children and take them to Ovie's place. I'll meet you there."

Staza looked at him with concern as she examined his shoulder. "Where are you going? You can't fight like this!"

"I will if I have to," Verant snapped, the stress of the situation starting to get to him, "I've done it before." It was then that he noticed the nearby hidden runners. "Does anyone here know what's going on?"

The hidden runners looked at one another with more than a little uncertainty. It was only after a moment that one of their number, a young runner with a large gash on his back and a haunted look on his face, decided to speak. "They're all gone, sir."

The mourning tone was not lost on Verant's ears as another one spoke.

"They killed Alon and Daline." The female was in tears. A part of Verant's mind noted the the blood dripping from her beak. "They hit us before we knew what happened."

"There's too many of them! They are coming from everywhere!" another voice spoke.

 _They're about to panic. Has any of them been in a fight before?_ Verant chided the pathetic scene in front of him. He then noticed some motion in the tall grass, nearly startling him before he realized he was looking at children, not enemy fighters. "Where are the others?" Verant asked the group. _We've got a few families here and what I think might be half the patrol for tonight._

The hidden runners merely looked at him glumly, as several of the previously hidden children climbed on the backs of the females. Taking a quick count he noted ten adults and four rather small younglings.

"Dear… Dear, I think…."

"Staza, get the children to Ovie now," Verant replied as calmly as he could, "We'll fall back to you and head north once we're all together. We can't stay here anymore." This last statement was directed at the hidden runners.

The hidden runners barely changed their expressions as the fastbiter's words registered in their minds. Only one of the children spoke in a frightened voice.

"Are we going to die, Momma?"

"Not while I'm still alive," Verant said, cutting off anything the mother might have said. He then turned to the adults. "Are you sure this everyone? I don't want anyone left behind." His tone made it clear that he expected an answer.

As the sounds of yelling and aggressive calls echoed behind them, it was the mother who answered in a mournful wail. "No one still alive."

"Alright then," Verant said with a sigh as he looked in the direction the enemy's calls came, "Families to my left, the patrol between them and the enemy. I'll bring up the rear. Any questions?" _Anyone who has a better idea speak up now._

No answers came as the hidden runners obeyed without question. It was only when they had done so that the reality of the situation came crashing down upon him. Of the teamless pack that he had helped the day before, only fourteen remained. Fourteen out of a pack of over forty adults and twenty younglings.

This wasn't a battle. This was a massacre.

* * *

By the time that Wrok reached the latest object of his contempt he was nearly out of breath. Questor was conspicuously free of blood and grime as he inspected the bodies before him. He had just encountered some of Verant's handiwork.

"I thought that you said that they would melt away if their leaders were killed!" Questor raged as he kicked the corpse in front of him. "What in the name of Fate do you call this?"

Wrok's two remaining assistants froze behind him as Wrok held up a calming hand. There were certain battles to be won through violence and others to be won through charm. This was clearly one of the later.

After all, Questor was of no use to him dead.

"Their pack lies dead and yours is victorious, Questor," Wrok noted cheerfully. "It seems though that the distraction came a bit early…"

This was not what Questor wanted to hear. The distraction was something his pack was supposed to have attended to. This was more than a slight attack on his competence.

And worse yet he knew that Wrok was right.

"But… I am sure that was due to the fastbiter's unpredictability. At least your forces have gotten him." Wrok paused for a moment. He knew very well that the fastbiter still remained. "Right?"

Questor glared at him, but dared not to question his guest. Wrok had carried out his part of the bargain and today's events showed how much more competent Wrok's elite forces were to Questor's entire pack. The fact that he was within earshot of his deputies only heightened the tension.

 _Oh this one is a sly one. He offers me an out, but he puts me in a corner,_ Questor fumed, _I will need to play the long game here._

Questor's face turned appreciative as if a switch had been thrown. He was not fooling the recipient of his gaze, but then again he wasn't really the intended recipient.

"I am sure the fastbiter will be taken care of soon." He glared at his deputies who promptly picked up spears and scrambled in all directions. It only took a few moments for each to grab whatever hidden runners looked somewhat ready for action. It was only then that he turned back towards Wrok. "But I am sure that you will want to talk about my side of the arrangement."

Wrok's smile went from predatory to beaming. "Oh… I am sure that it can wait. After all, this is a time of celebration for you. Your pack now controls the entire stream." He paused as if for effect. "I look forward to our alliance leading to a brighter future for all of us."

Questor fixed him with a gaze that was mostly friendly to the outside observer, but with the coldest eyes. "Yes, a brighter future that both of our packs will share."

The two shared a polite bow as Wrok and his entourage escorted themselves to the right of Questor, in the place where his deputies usually would have been. It was a clear show of strength on a day that Questor had long hoped he would have enjoyed alone.

 _Yes, a brighter future. But my future will be longer than yours._

Without another word the four hidden runners advanced across the stream again to inspect the conquered territory. Each hoped it was the first victory of many.

* * *

Gyors watched mutely as two blood-stained hidden runners carefully carried Ovie's eggs between their hands; the distraught fastrunner followed close behind. Between the stench of blood, the unmistakable scent of fear, and his father's uneasiness, the little biter had no idea what to think in this moment.

"Where are the rest of Ovie's eggs?" Gyors asked in a confused tone. He specifically remembered that Ovie had laid eight eggs.

Staza swallowed as she let out a long sigh. "Son… this is all that is left." In the distance one of the hidden runner males leaned against Ovie in order to assist her in walking. If the physical blows had not been enough to weaken her, the mental ones certainly were.

"What happened?" Ungu asked, "Why are we leaving home?" Several of her siblings were soon asking the same question. Their parents hadn't been very forthcoming with an explanation when they fled the territory.

"When are we going back home?" Sana asked once his siblings had quieted down.

It was then that their father stopped, his blue hide gleaming in the starlight. The children, still clinging to their mother's back, watched transfixed as their father turned towards them. His grim face and yellow eyes made each of them go silent. They had never seen this expression on their father's face before. He looked defeated, a resigned expression clouded his features.

"We're going to have to find a new home," Verant finally said, sounding more certain of himself than he looked.

This hit the children like a rainstorm as they looked at one another in shock. They had known no other home except for the land by the stream. For as long as they could remember their father had been the land's protector, and the hidden runners the beneficiaries. But now the land was soaked in blood, and their old sleeping area was abandoned.

All that they knew was gone.

It was then that the children's world erupted into a minor earthshake as a low growl emanated from their mother, causing their bodies to quake. They all recognized this tone: it was the growl that mother used to put them to sleep. Soon, however, the growl faded and it was replaced with their mother's soft voice.

"Children, sometimes the Bright Circle shines and sometimes the clouds make sky water, but the Bright Circle always comes back. No matter how dark it seems right now... we are still here. Be grateful for that. Many others are not."

Thinking on what his mother had said Gyors looked around at their group. It just now occurred to him how small it was.

 _"Ha! You fastbiters are fast, but you cannot hide!"_

 _Despite his usual formality around others, Verant let out a hearty laugh as Gyors strutted in front of the hidden runner child._

 _"Oh yeah! You're on! You will never beat us at Hunter and Prey!"_

 _Dono snickered as he examined Gyors' hide. The dark green was not a good match for the lighter green of the grass around them._

 _"You're on! The losing team gets the other snapping shells!"_

 _It took several hours for the game to end, with the hidden runners winning the match by the barest of margins. Despite this Gyors owed them no ill will. After all, they were his friends._

Gyros looked out at the hidden runners behind them. There were so few adults, but even fewer children. In fact there was only one whom he recognized. Dono's cousin clutched another female's leg as she shuffled on their endless journey. He opened his mouth to ask the obvious question, but no words left his throat, for he now knew the answer.

If Dono was not here, then he was gone. They were all gone.

"Mom, stop."

Startled, Staza stopped immediately, nearly dislodging a couple of her kids.

Without hesitation Gyors jumped off of his mother's back and gestured for the hidden runner children to move forward. Fearing that some threat was coming, the hidden runners needed no further motivation to obey the young biter's gesture. Within moments all four children were now awkwardly on Staza's back, her children having made room for the newcomers.

"Everyone ready?" Staza asked as she stood back up, not wanting to risk anyone falling off.

The movement of the fastbiter resumed again as the hidden runners struggled to find their footing, not being accustomed to traveling on another's back. It was only once that they were moving that they realized what they had done. A few of them almost looked like they were considering leaping off before Gyors spoke in a mournful voice.

"When packmates die, my Daddy says that we sing a song for them. Would you…"

The hidden runners all turned now, staring at the fastbiter in shock. They had never seen a predator in tears.

"Would you like to help me make a song for our friends?"

Verant intentionally turned away from the scene as the children began to sing. Honoring the friends that were no longer with them. The ones he had failed to protect. The ones that would never be seen again. He could do nothing to change their fate or to right his failure. The broken promise that would forever hang over his head.

But he could do one thing for the fallen.

He could avenge them.

* * *

 **Sorry for the delay, but things have been quite hectic on our end. Nonetheless, the third and final installment of chapter 16 is ready and should be posted in about a week or so. Before I respond to reviews, however, I just wanted to let everyone know about a collaborative project that I am working with The Wasp1995 called A Wish Granted: Tears of a Sharptooth. That story is scheduled to have chapters posted every two weeks under The Wasp1995's fanfiction account. It touches on familiar themes for my readers, but they will be explored in a unique way and with The Wasp's unique writing style. I encourage everyone to give it a look. (:  
**

 **Ottomatican** : Thank you, and thanks for the catch! I will try to get that error in the previous chapter corrected.

 **bryanmccloud** : Don't give Axiom and Datum any ideas about bows and arrows. d-; It's bad enough that the kids accidentally let slip the secret of fire. All joking aside, I look forward to your thoughts on this chapter.

 **gordhanx** : Thank you for the detailed review as always. I look forward to your thoughts on the latest part of this chapter. Due to the size of the overall story-segment this came from (in excess of 30,000 words) some splitting was necessary. We are now exploring what has been going on elsewhere in the Mysterious Beyond while the reunion is about to occur. As we can see... the situation that the pack is about to find itself in is very different from the situation days prior.

 **keijo6** : Yeah, this was the part of the roleplay where things began to move plot-wise in a much speedier fashion. The interlude-style chapters are good at characterization, but they can be lacking in a dynamic focus. As for fire, let's just say it will be a slow-burning detail (sorry, had to make the pun) in the background, as the main focus of the story is being elaborated in this chapter. The winds of change are blowing in the hidden runners' territory, and the resulting tumult is going to effect everyone in one way or another. The allure of power from the 'cultural contamination' in the Seven Hunters is bound to have long-term repercussions. Now we are beginning to see what those are.

 **Nimbus01** : You are quite correct about the rainbowfaces' concerns about fire being quite justified. The results of the knowledge of fire getting lose in the Mysterious Beyond might inflame tensions to put it mildly. Fire is a game-changer if and when it manages to be common knowledge. As for Dodger (Verant) you are quite correct. For reasons that will be explored later, he has a special bond with Mender that is quite protective, and in fact it has defined his life in many ways. Now that he has found himself free of that burden he is free to develop his personality in a new direction... but old habits do die hard. We will see a bit of his life in the new pack in Act 2 of this story. Unfortunately for Dodger he has two writers who just can't let the poor guy catch a break. d-;

 **xPrimalHunterx** : Yeah, the trilogy is getting quite sizeable, though I believe this story will be the last major story of the Seven Hunters arc. Though I may explore the Seven Hunters through oneshots in the future.

 **Thanks again, everyone! I look forward to your feedback and thoughts. (:**


	20. Chapter 16 (p3): A Path Crossed

**Chapter 16: A Path crossed (Part 3)**

 ** _"And now this brings us to the greatest difficulty in examining hidden runner culture: the lack of a frame of reference. In all of the cultures hereinto explored, from the longnecks to the domeheads, there have been analogues, however tenuious, with cultures within the Consortium. But for the hidden runners we can only explore with the greatest humility their inner workings._**

 ** _It is known that they have a fixation on the idea of 'Fate', which is an overarching concept meant to justify the status quo, or, if that status quo is violated, the new status quo that then forms. It is used to explain deaths, births, and even the comings and goings of their Great Leader. It is a most curious deviation from rationality from a species that seems most well-suited to cold calculation and rational analysis._**

 ** _But in the end, is it really such a deviation? All cultures need to have a safety valve, to use the common turn of phrase, for when the inherent contradictions within their own societies. The hidden runners are just a bit more open about the idea, actually worshiping what others personify as Gods, but not giving it a personalized form. The closest that they come to this is the reverence that they give to their leaders… which, as I am sure has not escaped the reader's attention, might actually be a more worisome prospect in such a calculating species."_**

 ** _Commander Logos,_**

 ** _An introductory report on 'hidden runner' culture and politics_**

* * *

"I remember that tree."

"Did you run into it or something?" Mender asked Orchid, wondering why he remembered that particular tree.

The fastrunner was taken aback for a moment before rolling his eyes. "No! I just remember that I passed that tree before I found Path… I guess the pack's territory is around here somewhere."

As if on cue, Nahoda moved forward and proceeded to sniff the tree curiously. It was only after a moment that he snorted and proceeded to provide his own marking the the lonely tree in the otherwise unbroken sea of grass.

Mender shook her head, bemused. "Congratulations, Nahoda. You just told every predator in the area lunch has arrived. Unless I missed it we're not quite in Seeker's territory yet."

Arial arrived before Nahoda could respond and, upon sniffing the same spot, smacked Nahoda in the back of the head. "You don't have to challenge every male who has an ego!"

Nahoda looked indignant as he crossed his arms. "I do when they claim all of the females in the area!"

 _There's another fastrunner in the area?_ Mender thought excitedly, _Lunch._

Arial smirked. "Afraid that I might find someone stronger... smarter…" She slinked up to him suggestively before biting his unprotected tail.

"Ow!"

Arial dodged his playful counterattack. "...and faster than you?"

"Oh that does it you…"

"I think I might just go find out," Mender thought aloud, barely ignoring the two fastrunners chasing each other. She doubted they heard her.

"Well this is certainly disgustingly cute," Buse deadpanned, "Nothing like food in love."

"They're not food if you can't catch them," Mender retorted, "You do realize you'd make about as good a meal as Nahoda, right?"

"I would rather not have any eating of packmates. It makes meals too awkward." Cynnil's reply was tinged with laughter as she shook her head as the two fastrunners tackled one another.

Orchid looked up at his sister and her mate in the distance and mentally slapped himself for the fact that he hoped that Nahoda could hear this conversation. "We could seriously ruin our unseen friend's day, you know?"

Cynnil snorted. "Yes, I am sure Mender hunting him would ruin his day."

Mender looked at Cynnil, her whole body radiating hope.

"No!" Orchid replied with exasperation, "I mean that if I were to mark that tree then he would think that he had two challengers… somewhere in his territory… unseen… waiting…"

"Or I could just eat him," Mender said, "I already had to pass up a perfectly good meal already." She nodded towards Nahoda before turning to her pack leader. "Please, Cynnil?"

It was only then that she noticed that the sounds of playful struggling had ceased from the fastrunners. All of her attention remained on her leader, however.

"Are you hungry, Mender?" Cynnil asked her packmate in an even voice, as Orchid meekly stepped behind her. It was a reluctant acknowledgement that he would not interfere with the leader's decision in any way, a sign of subservience.

"Yeah, kinda," Mender admitted.

Cynnil tilted her head. "Kinda?"

"Okay, quite a bit actually," Mender replied, "I didn't want to say anything."

Silence reigned for several moments as if everyone present were waiting for the next words out of Mender's beak, but before she could respond a tell-tale screech echoed in the air.

Orchid's attention shifted immediately. "Spotter?"

"Please don't be another person needing help," Mender said to herself, "We're almost to Seeker's territory, so what's Spotter doing coming to us now?"

"Ha! Me know why it take you so long! Fastrunners too busy running after one another, and fastbiters too busy talking!"

Cynnil crossed her arms as the flyer's playful mockery reached her ears.

"And hidden runners not even hidden," he added for good measure as he landed on the grass.

Cynnil coughed. "I was not aware that Taunt was sending out messengers, Spotter. I take it that he also included some commentary on our mating habits, yes?"

Petrie looked offended for a moment as he put one wing to his chest and raised another in the air for effect. "Me only speak for Spotter, though me could ask Taunt for his thoughts." His mannerisms screamed offense, but his eyes indicated amusement. That was until he saw the somewhat disturbed look still on Nahoda's face. "Everything okay here? You not delayed by something bad?"

 _Huh? What's bothering him?_ Mender wondered, turning towards Nahoda.

"Nothing that we can't take care of, Spotter," Cynnil offered calmly, "How are things with your pack?"

"Nothing to report… though Ponder is _most_ interested to see her sister and her chosen mate."

Nahoda noticeably shifted uneasily, as if he were trying to melt into the ground. Arial, meanwhile, looked absolutely ecstatic and hugged him without noticing his obvious discomfort.

Mender grinned. _Calm down, Nahoda. It's not like they're gonna eat you._

"And all of us are most interested in seeing what Mender has been doing in her long absence. We hear much, but have seen little."

 _On second thought, Nahoda, you might have the right idea,_ Mender thought before trying to figure out a way to disappear. There were frustratingly few options.

"Though me glad to see you all doing well. What should Spotter tell the pack before you get there? Is there anything Spotter can do for you?"

"Do you know how Verant and Staza are doing?" Mender asked immediately.

The flyer smiled in his own way. "They do well last time Spotter see them! Verant and Staza had the kids hidden somewhere, but they all come to see Spotter anyway."

"And here I was hoping they'd grow out of it," Mender muttered, remembering just how interested the kids had been in her the one time she'd seen them.

"They also grow a lot! They all about to the top of your ankle now. And they all have their daddy's claws and their mommy's tracking skills. Though one almost looks like a little Mender with your color."

"How is she?" Mender asked, now very serious. _I didn't find anything wrong with her sniffer last time, but she was so little..._

Petrie did not understand the context. "She look fine. They all look fine. In fact, it time for Spotter to give you message from Verant and Staza, since they cannot visit right now. They still doing their part to keep hidden runner allies safe."

"Well, they should be fine as long as my brother's there," Mender replied, "So what's the message?"

Petrie smiled as he thought back to Verant's words from several days prior. Within moments he began to recite the message and what he saw as if he were speaking in Verant's own tone and cadence. There was no doubt that Petrie was transcribing her brother's message.

 _It is so nice to hear that they are doing well!_

* * *

 **Many miles away, in hidden runner lands:**

"Keep moving everyone," Verant encouraged the desperate group of survivors, "We need plenty of distance between ourselves and the other pack before we think about stopping."

There was no verbal response to his command as the silent band of hidden runners continued forward with their heads bowed low. It was as if their loss was an actual physical weight bearing down upon their bodies. Only the hidden runner children who had taken refuge on Staza's back with her children made any sort of reaction.

They were still mouthing out the songs of their friends. Friends who were no more.

 _If they're focusing more on what they lost than on surviving, I don't see how we're getting out of here,_ Verant thought, frustrated, _If you don't feel like you have a reason to survive you're likely not going to. So how do I give them a reason to keep going?_

The Bright Circle appeared to mock him as he ventured forward. Rather than illuminate a hopeful scene, its appearance was merely a reminder of what had been lost the night before… and the fact that they had gone an entire night without rest.

They had a band of hidden runners to thank for that.

 _We've gotten about as far as I thought we could for one day,_ Verant thought, _but it seems we still have pursuers._ The scent the winds carried told him it was the same group he'd smelled earlier. _We can't keep this pace up forever._

As if to punctuate his point the tell-tale sound of snoring could be heard from his mate's back. Several of his children and the hidden runner younglings had fallen into an uneasy sleep. Based upon the dragging feet and slowing pace he could tell that the others were on the verge of collapse as well. If they stopped now then they would be easy pickings.

Perhaps it was time to go on the offensive?

* * *

The bush shook suddenly as it was struck by a green beak. It was only after its owner had sniffed for several seconds that the hidden runner spoke in a whisper.

"The survivors went this way… follow."

Bastion could only glare at the insufferable hidden runner's back as his deputy sped forward with the others in tow. He had seen more than enough death on this day for the benefit of his leaders' vanity. The deputy would almost certainly be rewarded in mates or favoritism for his upcoming success, but what would he and his comrades obtain?

A few kind words for the survivors, and death to the unlucky. Just like his comrades who currently lay in heaps by the stream. All of them slain by the fastbiters they currently were shadowing.

He forced himself forward as he stared at the deputy's tail. It would be the simplest thing to drive his spear through the bastard's back. To watch as his blood bathed the ground in its crimson radiance. Releasing him and the others from their near-suicidal mission.

Bastion forced himself to calm down. Releasing his rage on the insufferable bastard would solve nothing and lead him to a premature end. Even if he were killed his comrades would probably tell Questor what happened… and he had no doubt that Wrok's future plans would entail even more pointless battle even if the others kept their secret.

 _How do we get out of this alive?_

It was then that he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was not the deputy.

"Maybe it's time for Calnor to have an accident…"

* * *

"How long do you think they'll bother with pursuit?" Verant asked the group, though it was mostly him thinking aloud, "Since they took the territory, why would they keep going after us?".

A gruff voice answered his query. "Maybe they are no longer following us?"

The bloodied face of an older male greeted Verant's gaze as he turned towards the owner of the voice. The crimson fluid on the spear-gashed face had begun to dry during their long evacuation, but the empty eyes hinted at wounds that would never heal. Instantly he felt unsure of how to respond, so Verant focused on the only thing he knew for sure.

That they had to survive.

"Would you have stopped following us?" Verant asked.

The hidden runner sighed as his voice hissed with venom. "I am not Questor and his pack of bastards. But even if I was I would feel no need to attack what was already beaten. He could have taken the stream and barked at us to flee…"

"But they went after everyone! Some of us even tried to submit… but they still tried to run us through!"

This was a new voice, soft and feminine. Verant recognized it immediately as one of the mothers who had lost everything.

"'What?" Staza nearly shouted, shocked at what she just heard. She really hoped she'd misheard.

The hidden runner merely went silent as she looked down in shame, her hand clutching at a hand that was no longer there. Those of her child. That was when the pieces finally clicked in Verant's mind.

 _Her children were killed and she tried to sub…_ Verant could feel his heart begin to pump furiously as rage threatened to overwhelm his reason. It was not an unheard of course of action for predatory species - kill the male, kill the children so that the female becomes receptive again, and then mate to perpetuate your own line… but that made it no less disgusting. In her moment of despair she and the others had clung to the only hope for survival that they had… and even that twisted mercy was taken from those who fell on this night. It was as unconscionable as it was evil.

Even Calin spared those he thought were useful.

"This has to be Wrok's doing," the male hidden runner's voice growled, "Questor - the worthless bastard - would not want to show weakness to him."

"Then that's who's going to die for this," Verant replied unhesitatingly.

* * *

 **Verant's old territory:**

"Are those the bad hidden runners, Mama?"

Soar could only stare at the scene in front of her in mute shock. It had not been more than a few days since her mate had greeted Verant and his mate and she knew that Spotter would not have neglected to mention a detail like this.

The entire hill was bathed in blood.

She tried to control her breathing as she felt the children land on the same branch. What had turned into an opportunity for the children to practice their messenger skills with a good friend had instead turned into something else entirely. Either Verant had took it upon himself to deal with the other pack permanently… or he might have met a terrible end.

"Children, we need to head back towards the territory.."

Dive's soft voice broke the resulting silence. "Where are Verant and Staza, Momma?"

Soar could only glare at the bodies under them. The buzzers had already discovered the unclaimed flesh, which meant that it wouldn't be unclaimed for long. Soon there would be no sign of the pack that Verant had once helped to protect.

"I don't know, Dive, but that is what we are going to find out."

* * *

 **Many miles away:**

The hidden runner couldn't help but smile when he head the pack stop ahead. He couldn't see them from his position, and he couldn't sniff out their location, but the fact that the voices were no longer moving forward communicated volumes. They had successful worn them down.

 _The others gave up long ago, the fools. This glory will be all mine…_

Calnor had watched Questor as he rose up the ranks of the pack. From a well-planned mating, to assuming the deputyship, and then the tragic end of his first mate… followed by the 'tragic' loss of their first pack leader. Everyone in the pack knew that he was ambitious, but no one dared to stand in his way. After all, Fate was obviously on his side. How else could he have risen to the heights that he had?

And Calnor was determined to be at Questor's side as he rose to yet greater heights. When Fate had chosen its champion it was improper to stand in its way. Especially when it entailed your own personal ascent as well.

"Your orders, sir?"

Calnor forced the glare off of his face as he turned towards the rest of his makeshift hunting team. He couldn't really blame them for being exhausted after their nonstop journey, but he could be annoyed by the obvious sarcasm in his underling's voice. Did he not understand what was at stake here? If they succeeded in killing the monster then they would almost certainly be favored by Questor in the future.

 _This is why they are lower-ranked… no ambition whatsoever._

He whispered back in a cold monotone, "They have stopped to rest. The survivors are of no concern. Our concern needs to be on the two fastbiters."

He stopped for a moment. _We have no flyers at our disposal so I can't get a look at their positions… so how best to proceed?_ He did not want to show any hesitation or weakness in front of the others, but he knew as well as anyone else that a misstep here would cost him more than his pride.

"I think that I may have an idea, sir."

Now this caught Calnor's attention. This was the first time that the group's sole female had decided to speak. Instantly feeling more confident due to the certainty in her voice he nodded for her to continue.

"We four could follow behind you on either side. Then, when you make your attempt on the fastbiter, we could guard your retreat. If the male goes then the rest will be lost."

Calnor was transfixed by her manner of speaking. As far as he knew this female was merely another low-ranked underachiever like the others that he had dredged up from the celebrations. But perhaps this female aimed for more? Her plan would risk her and her companions more than him, but perhaps she felt the potential benefits justified the risk.

He smiled internally. _Ambition. I like that._

"Hmmm… I like the way that you think…" The pause was clearly an introduction.

"Cadice; I am one of the new scouts," she answered easily, quickly averting her eyes coyly.

"Cadice…" Calnor played with the name in his head. Perhaps this young scout wouldn't mind advancing along with him? "Assemble the others as you think fit. I will be going after the male and the rest of you will need to lay in wait. We won't get another chance at this."

As the Deputy continued to elaborate on the plan that would never actually be put into place, he did not notice one of the males roll his eyes knowingly. Cadice had lured him in like a bellydragger to a kill. A success here would only invite further missions for them and their illustrious Deputy… but a mishap might be their salvation.

One ambitious leader was enough for any pack.

* * *

 _Well, I think we might have finally lost them,_ Verant thought as he checked on the various members of what had once been a large pack, ending with those that were supposed to guard the edges not guarded by the nearby stream, _Good thing, too. Everyone's exhausted._

The remnants of the pack were situated in the most effective defensive formation that he could manage. Along the stream, but not too close to its edge, his children and the remaining hidden runner younglings were bunched into a protective huddle, snores emanating from them all. In front of them he had placed those hidden runners that appeared the most disturbed from the ordeal, and finally, along the outside, he had placed those who were still battle-ready. In the event that they had to attempt an evacuation, they would guard their retreat.

And the stream would alert them to dangers on one side.

 _We should be alright for tonight. I've got a few watches set up to trade off during the night, and the stream's bellydraggers will keep any enemies from getting at us that way._ Satisfied that there was little chance of being caught by surprise, Verant decided he could indulge his other concerns.

"Are you doing alright, Ovie?" he asked, approaching where the fastrunner was protecting her remaining two eggs.

The fastrunner did not respond at first, her eyes cast downward. When she did speak a faraway voice greeted him.

"How well can I be doing? I have failed as a mother."

It was only then that he noticed the slight hiss that left her beak as she attempted to take a deep breath. A painful reminder of what the hidden runners had done to her as they were breaking her eggs.

"What other injuries are you hiding?" Verant asked pointedly, gesturing at Ovie's chest. _You're not gonna be able to protect your kids if you don't live long enough to see them hatch._ His tone made it clear he expected an answer.

Ovie closed her eyes in resignation, as the tears that had finally dissipated hours before made a return to her face. "Just my ribs, I think."

"You did what you could, Ovie," Verant said in an attempt at reassurance, "You were very badly outnumbered. Anyone else would have fled." _I wouldn't have, but Staza says I take too many risks anyway._

"And that wasn't good enough!" she hissed, quickly regretting it as she clutched her side painfully. Even though he was not a healer, Verant could tell that at least some of the ribs had to be broke.

"You okay?" Verant asked worriedly. Not for the first time he wished there was a healer among the survivors.

Ovie sucked in a shallow breath before steadying herself again. "I will manage. I haven't died yet…"

"Ovie..." For once, Verant was entirely at a loss on how to help his friend.

The fastrunner was silent for several moments as she continued to nest over her eggs. It was not lost on Verant that Ovie's emotional reaction appeared to come back as soon as the eggs were no longer being carried between the children on Tracker's back. It was in this moment that the full impact of her loss reached her again. Her family had been greatly reduced.

"You did what you could," Ovie finally choked out, "But you can't help me with this. This… this is something that I will have to live with."

"Just don't forget that you're not alone, Ovie. You do still have friends here." _Don't do what Staza did. Don't let yourself hurt alone._

The fastrunner merely nodded as she began to hum something in a sing-song voice. It only took Verant a moment to recognize it as the sort of thing that would be sung to help hatchlings return to sleep. Though he had no idea if she were singing it for the benefit of her eggs, or for those younglings who would never hatch.

It was then that he felt the slightest of nudges.

Seeing his mate trying to get his attention, Verant decided it was best to leave Ovie alone for now. Not knowing what else to do with himself, he went to do yet another patrol of the borders of their makeshift sleeping area.

Behind him he could hear Staza talking to Ovie, but he couldn't make out what was said. _Hopefully she'll be able to help Ovie better than I did._

Feeling somewhat like a flyer in a stream, lost and seemingly without a purpose, he searched around for anything that could help the survivors. Inevitably, considering his background, this led him to examining the terrain for the most likely direction of trouble.

 _There's no real way to cross the stream here, so they can't come across that way. If they try to come from the direction we came from they're going to have to get through some trees that are way too close together. That's bound to create some noise,_ Verant thought as he considered potential dangers, _If coming at us from the opposite side as the stream they've got plenty of cover and could move pretty quietly if they take it slow. I better double check there._

"I don't see anything either, Daddy."

Verant started at hearing the unexpected voice. He immediately looked up.

"Gyors, what are you doing up there?" Verant asked, sounding both amused and exasperated.

The little biter gave a slight chuckle as he climbed down from the tree, finally landing with a not-so-graceful thud. "I am helping you keep watch!"

"Not tonight you're not," Verant reprimanded gently, "You need your sleep."

Gyors looked down slightly at the reprimand. "I was going out here to pee, but then I saw you looking." He paused for a moment as he sniffed the air before quickly changing to another topic entirely. "Did we lose the bad hidden runners, Dad?"

"I think so, son. We can't be too careful, though."

* * *

 _That was too close._

Calnor took a deep breath as he forced his racing heart to relax. The damn fastbiter had been right on his trail, getting closer and closer before the child had interrupted his train of thought. This was the opportunity that he needed.

With a quick wave of his hand he commanded his unseen pack to assume their positions on either side of him. If he were going to make his move then it would have to be soon.

And the child might have been just the opening that he needed.

* * *

"I tried to talk to Balnor about it, but he couldn't tell me. Why do the other hidden runners hate us so much?"

 _Um, could you have picked a more difficult question?_ Verant thought, _I still haven't quite figured out that myself._

"I don't really know, son," Verant admitted, "Some people are simply willing to do anything to get what they want regardless of who they have to hurt to get it."

Gyors considered his father's words for a moment as he walked over to his side. "But… they aren't all bad! I saw some of the smaller hidden runners playing in the stream one day before their parents got them. I mean… their kids were just kids. Why did their mommies and daddies turn bad?"

"Do you remember how I said that a pack leader should almost always be obeyed?" Verant asked in return.

Gyors nodded as he looked at his father questioningly.

"This is why I said almost always."

Confusion washed over the little biter's features as he contemplated his father's words. It was only when his father leaned down and Gyors jumped on his back that the youngling spoke again.

"So their leader is bad?"

"Yes," Verant replied with slightly more vehemence than he intended.

His son shifted awkwardly on his father's back as he tried to avoid falling off. He always did have a tendency to get too close to his tail. "So why do they follow him then?"

"I don't..." Verant paused and glanced towards the nearby trees, "Shh... do you hear that?"

Gyors struggled to avoid falling off of his father as he tried to regain his footing. "Um… sorry, Dad. I kind of slipped."

Verant glanced back towards the trees uncertainly before finally turning towards the stream and where his mate and the rest of his children were sleeping. _I guess it was nothing._

* * *

 _Now is my chance!_

Calnor gripped his spear with clear intent as he sized up his opponent. All it would take is a well-timed throw and he would be rid of the monster once and for all. With his underlings ready to fight off any final attack from the fastbiter, he knew that victory was soon at hand.

He smiled. Questor needed a new second and he planned for that to be him.

He rose from the underbrush as he sized up the distance between him and his target. It was no more than ten body-lengths. It would only take a short sprint to enter throwing range. Though now he entered the most difficult part, the part that went against every instinct.

The hidden runner had to stop hiding and begin running. The backup of his packmates would be absolutely essential if the fastrunner did not drop immediately.

He took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing._

Little did he know that his packmates had long since abandoned him to his fate.

* * *

"Do you think Ovie will be okay, Dad? She looks so sad."

Gyors looked over at the downtrodden fastrunner by the stream. It was his mother's presence that caught his eyes first, but it did not take long for him to realize that his mother must have been having one of her 'adult conversations' with Ovie. Even though he was young and relatively naive about much in life, the despair of losing so many eggs registered in his mind. It would have been like him losing five of his brothers and sisters. An unimaginable loss.

He still could not comprehend why the hidden runners attacked Ovie. Fastrunners were not threats to their pack, especially not a mother on her nest.

 _How could they do that?_

"We'll all be doing better once we get to safety," Verant said, somewhat dodging the question.

Gyors could detect his father's deflection but pressed on to his next question. "But where will that be? Are we going to live with Seeker's pack?"

"They've got kids themselves now, so no, we can't live there," Verant said, "We..." He fell silent, having heard what sounded like running behind him. The fastbiter quickly spun around, nearly nearly knocking Gyors off.

What greeted his eyes was a sight that was almost something out of a nightmare. A hidden runner was bearing on him in a full sprint, with his clawed hand oriented forward. He felt a sudden lurch to the left as his father desperately attempted to dodge something. That was when Gyors saw the shaft of wood in the light of the stars. Seemingly against his will his eyes followed the specter of death as it grew larger and larger in his vision.

That was when his world erupted into darkness and pain.

* * *

As soon as the spear had left his hand, Calnor knew that he had missed. The fastbiter's eyes followed the spear with a murderous glare as he dodged the instrument of death as if it were a trivial concern. The resulting scream that registered in his ears was of no consequence. He had failed in his mission.

Now his only concern was survival.

Fear overwhelmed him as he willed his feet to carry him forward into the protective cover of his packmates. If he could only make it to them… If only…

The sounds of the fastbiter's feet digging into the earth was now roaring in his ears. Constantly getting closer and closer as he approached the bushes where his packmates were supposed to keep watch. He only allowed himself to feel hope when he thrust himself into the air into the bushes. Perhaps Cadice's idea would save his skin after all.

Once he landed, however, he realized his predicament. His companions were nowhere to be seen. Only four abandoned spears greeted his eyes, leaning against a tree as if to make a statement.

They had abandoned him. There was no backup. There never had been. He was on his own.

A panicked choke left his beak as the angry roar of the fastbiter echoed in his head. With one final effort he forced himself towards the spears, ignoring his desire to run away in panic.

That was when the entire world seemed to lurch to his left as pain erupted on his left side. As he collided head-first into the hard ground, everything grew fuzzy. It was only with extreme effort that he was able to look up at the source of his misery.

"No…"

* * *

Verant wasted no time in going in for the kill. He leapt upon the downed hidden runner, claws sinking into the hidden runner's leg and side. The resulting scream soon turned into a high-pitched screech as his abdomen was ruptured with a sickening slick sound.

Wanting to kill the threat to his family as quickly as possible in case there were more threats, Verant lunged at the hidden runner's throat. The latter's screech was abruptly muffled as Verant bit down hard.

Verant could only see red as the hidden runner's blood drenched everything within his vision, matching his loss of mental control. The screech of his prey had turned into a terrible gasping sound, a cross between a wheeze and a wet cough, as the hidden runner began to aspirate on his own blood. It was then that his anger overwhelmed his usual control and Verant shook his head with enough force to shatter bone.

A few moments later the broken body landed on the ground with a dull thud. It was only then that Verant's mind turned from burning rage to numb shock.

"Gyors, can you hear me?!"

He turned back towards his mate's panicked voice as a crowd of concerned hidden runners congregated around his son.. Not surprisingly, Staza was already at the young fastbiter's side. Wasting no time, Verant rushed to join them only to stop dead in his tracks when he saw blood.

His son's blood.

* * *

 **Good evening, everyone! I hope that you have enjoyed the latest (and last) installment of chapter 16 d-; (Sometimes RPs lead to interesting chapter breaks) Don't worry, however, because in two weeks we should have the last chapter of Act 1 posted. It has been a long time in waiting, but we are about to enter the second Act of this story. As always, I look forward to your feedback and constructive criticism.**

 **bryan mccloud** : Thank you for the detailed review, and don't worry too much about missing details, you can always ere-read the relevant chapters to keep up, and it is quite easy to get lost in a 200k+ story such as this. I am glad that you enjoyed the tender interactions in the beginning, one of my goals was to show how the parting went and how they are beginning to grow as dinosaurs. We are slowly seeing Verant become the dinosaur he is today. As for Wrok, there isn't much else to say that I have not said in the other review responses this time except that he is a very different creature from Calin. The pack will have to be careful not to underestimate him.

 **Nimbus01** : Yep, Verant has grown into his own since he left Mender's side, though now he has new little ones to protect. But Wrok, as you have said, took the show in the last installment. He has a clear goal in mind (Ignis's position) and he is willing to do anything and go anywhere to achieve it. Unlike Calin, he is a more narcissistic character than a sociopathic one, which means that he can learn from his mistakes. As a result he has built up his pack, his minions, and alliances all to achieve one goal. This makes him especially horrifying as a character. The creepy thing is, despite him being a monster, if he were to achieve his goal and destroy his enemies he might actually be a good hidden runner leader. Which makes you wonder about certain human rulers who ended up getting good press...

 **Keijo6** : Yeah, the present storyline is just now going into full focus, though I have given quite a few hints concerning the underlying conflicts. Let's just say that Wrok has his eyes on a certain scrape, and that he has allies who disagree with the alliance. I am also glad that you enjoyed the interactions here and the naming ceremony. The name Verant is certainly one that he has grown into, and we shall see in the 'past scenes' of Act 2 how that happened. But, as we shall also see, time rests for no one, and his struggles are only beginning.

 **gordhanx** : You are quite correct about Verant and Staza wanting to have a word with the two authors... they are not happy with us right now. Especially not after what just happened in this chapter. As for the upcoming conflict, you are thinking in the right direction. Things are going to get quite complicated in the next Act of the story.

 **JulianR94** : I see that you are slowly going through the story (as of this chapter you had reviewed up to chapter 9) but I just wanted to thank you for your continued support and helpful comments. (: Whenever you get to it, I look forward to the next chapter of your story.


	21. Chapter 17: Partings and homecomings

**-v-**

 **Chapter 17:** **Partings and homecomings**

 ** _"Due to the uncertain situation with the hidden runners, a proporal was recent made in the Great Valley meeting to send a delegation to discuss the matter with Ignis. No decision was made, as sending such a delegation in the Mysterious Beyond is a risky proposition, but it is likely that the proposal will be carried soon. Further information on the hidden runner situation will be conveyed in our reports as we intend to attend such a delegation._**

 ** _As the longneck saying goes, "It is the sharptooth that is not seen that strikes the killing blow." It is time to shed some of the uncertainties about this situation."_**

 ** _Commander Chronos,_**

 ** _Update on the Hidden Runner Crisis_**

* * *

"Well then, me let them know you on the way. Though it look like our friends already spot you… but friends not tell pack before Spotter!"

Orchid looked at his packmates in confusion for a moment, his gaze shifting from Cynnil to Mender in the vain hopes that someone could politely tell him what Petrie was talking about. That was when he saw a tail quickly disappear into the water of the adjacent stream. The tail of a bellydragger.

"Opus, you not eat Nahoda!" Petrie spoke before Orchid could warn his counterpart. It was only then that Nahoda looked up from where he was drinking.

And saw a wall of teeth appear from the water.

Nahoda went from the water's edge to a backwards leap in an instant in order to avoid the mock attack. This was followed by a headlong sprint in the exact opposite direction.

"Well, this is an interesting reversal," Mender said, looking down at Nahoda, smiling as she turned away from her pack leader to look at what had just collided with her.

Nahoda was panic-struck and speechless as he looked up at the fastbiter, babbling incoherently. That was when Orchid realized that Mender and the others must not have seen what just happened as Nahoda had been behind the rest of the pack.

"Bellydragger!" Orchid exclaimed. The reaction was immediate.

"Yikes!" Mender was about an entire longneck's length away from the bellydragger before she bothered to stop running and look behind her.

Only to see an elderly bellydragger begin to laugh hysterically as he returned into the water with predatory silence.

"That not nice, Opus!"

Cynnil placed herself in front of the pack as she stared down the retreating bellydragger. Though Orchid could not be sure if this was her standard reaction to such a threat or a reaction due to her not seeing the threat until it was nearly too late.

"You said I couldn't eat them. You said nothing about scaring them!"

And with that the bellydragger fully disappeared from sight. Presumably to seek out prey that he could actually devour.

"Um…" Petrie began, "That is Opus. He helps the pack sometimes."

"Great, another thing that's changed," Mender muttered to herself as she walked back towards her packmates, not recognizing the name of the bellydragger, "One bellydragger was more than enough." _One was too many. They're like swimming two-footers with that many teeth._

"Is that one of your pack?" Arial's concerned voice choked out as she hugged her mate.

"No, bellydraggers usually serve themselves. But we have agreement with this one. Don't hurt us or the kids, and we give leftovers."

"And he also gives you reports about what goes on in the stream… and prevents other bellydraggers from coming in…" Cynnil pieced things together based upon the available evidence.

 _I'd rather just avoid the stream and the swimming teeth, thank you very much,_ Mender thought. An odd thought occurred to her. "Is Darvin still around?" she asked, surprised she still remembered the bellydragger's name.

Petrie was expressionless. "Opus took his territory."

"It might be just because I was smaller then, but I could have sworn Darvin was bigger than Opus is. How could he lose a fight?" Mender inquired, suspicious at Petrie's lack of expression. _Every time you act like that there's something you're not telling me._

Petrie sighed. "You know Spotter too well. The kids play with him one day… go into water as he make mock attacks… but Path not know that when he saw that."

"Oh." _I guess Path had a rather nice snack,_ Mender thought, just a bit wrongfooted.

"The kids learn important lesson on that day," Petrie noted, "Some things are not joked about."

"Well that got out of hand quickly," Mender commented, "That's kinda odd, though. A bellydragger getting eaten by something that stays out of the water most of the time."

Petrie turned to look towards the direction of the pack's territory before giving an 'all is well' call. Within a few seconds a booming roar came in his direction as Path let him know that the message was received.

At least the pack now knew that everything was going well with the guests.

"Well, Mender, you nearly had the opposite happen to you," Petrie noted with a kind laugh, "Though I hope you visiting the pack turns out better than you joining it."

"Why you... augh..." Mender sputtered, unable to put her frustration into words. The surprise of having Petrie say 'I' was completely overwhelmed by a memory she had tried not to dwell upon.

The sudden loss of control was not overlooked by her packmates, however.

"Mender?" Buse asked, surprised.

Orchid for his part was now quite concerned as he had never see Mender lose her composure.

Cynnil, however, merely politely smiled. This was a bit of the old Mender. "I remember you telling me about that. You have a way of making dramatic entrances."

Nahoda sighed, remembering when he nearly became Mender's dinner before his mate intervened. "...You can say that again."

"Are you ever going to let that go?" Mender wondered aloud, not expecting an answer. _How is it my fault you smell delicious, Nahoda?_ She turned back towards Cynnil. "What? You're not the only one that likes complicated hunting plans." _Seeker seems to_ love _overcomplicated plans._

"Oh trust me, Mender, I remember this song." Cynnil smiled as she noticed that Mender's nervousness had been consumed by her focus on the topic at hand. If only she could maintain that way until they reunited with the rest of Seeker's pack… "Maybe you could share the song with our new packmate and our guests?"

Petrie nodded, noticing the same thing that Cynnil was. "Yeah, it might be good way to pass time. It still long walk for you land-walkers."

"Oh, they don't want to hear about that," Mender deflected. _Orchid and Buse will never let me hear the end of it. Buse will finally have someone to laugh along with him._

"Sure we do!" Arial replied cheerfully after catching Mender's deflection. Now her curiosity was now thoroughly piqued. Not to mention that she had a certain male to try to keep calm as well. Mender was not the only dinosaur who could over-think threats.

"What happened when you finally joined the pack, Mender?" Orchid finally asked, "Did Seeker change his mind and decide to make you do a test like you all did for me?"

"No," Mender replied, "Something that should have been a nice surprise turned out to be a whole lot more, um, surprising than expected."

* * *

 **The past:**

"How are you feeling, Violet?" Ruby asked as they watched the swimmers from a distance. Soon it would be Violet's turn to create a distraction. Little did Ruby realize that she had made a mistake due to her own distraction.

"Scared to death," Violet admitted. _Scared I'm going to fail in front of everyone._

Ruby placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Violet, you will be fine," she then realized her mistake and gave an apologetic bow for not using her adult name, "Shit! Sorry, Mender! I guess I am a bit distracted."

"By what?" Violet asked, curiosity getting the better of her. It only belatedly occurred to her than might not be the best question to ask, causing her to cringe.

"This group of swimmers," Ruby said as she gestured towards the larger male, "He seems pretty dedicated and is keeping the females close. Even if you distract him and Stern Claw's group tricks him into defending the other one, he might still be very close. It will be a risk for the attacking group."

"This is starting to sound a bit too familiar," Violet said more to herself than in reply. She double-checked her leg to make sure it was alright, despite the injury having long since healed. _At least it's not spiketails this time._

"Hmmm…" Ruby pondered, "Any suggestions, Mender? If you were a swimmer, and water was your prefered escape, what kind of distraction would most make you want to escape?"

"That might be a better question for Tracker. She actually thinks water is a perfectly acceptable means of escape. I'm not really sure what would be a good idea." Violet sighed in frustration. "I'd run from any situation where I was badly outnumbered unless told not to." She was quite proud that there was no pause before 'unless told not to'.

"That's it!" Ruby exclaimed with obvious excitement.

"What's it?" Violet asked, very confused.

"We have to make him feel outnumbered near the water, so that he runs away from the water! If he runs away from the water, then he won't have the water to escape to." She looked pleased with herself. "I will join with the second distraction group. If the swimmers run in your direction then act ferocious to scare them in the other direction."

"That's assuming I don't get trampled. At least you guys have those vines on." Violet was now wishing she weren't the chief distraction; she was supposed to provoke a reaction.

Ruby placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Mender, Spotter will join in with your distraction." She then made a hand gesture at the sky which earned her a screech from the skies above. "And if the swimmer runs at you then run in the other direction. You are a fast fastbiter, and even a slow fastbiter can outrun a swimmer!"

"I hope you're right. I'd rather not be practicing what healing I've learned on myself."

Ruby smiled. "You will be fine! May your sprint be swift, Mender!" Without further word she disappeared into the underbrush. Now all Violet could do was wait for Petrie's signal.

 _This is either going to work really well or I'm going to die,_ Violet thought worriedly, _If they all come this way…_ Three adult swimmers would be quite difficult for one fastbiter to avoid.

Trying to both focus and distract herself from her more worrisome thoughts, Violet settled down and watched the swimmers. Their original intended target, the older female, had stayed relatively close to the water and had only gotten closer to it as the pack had started to move into position. While she could still be used to distract the male, she was now uncatchable unless the pack had a collective death wish.

Much closer to Violet was the younger female. She was currently contentedly eating, oblivious to the danger gathering nearby. _Oblivious, or confident in the male's abilities to protect her,_ Violet thought, _Judging by how close an eye this guy is keeping on things I'd say he's more paranoid than my brother. Then again they both have reason to be paranoid. Especially since they're swimmer._ _I don't think sneaking up on this guy is a real option, even faking it, but I'm not the one in charge._

Petrie continued to circle overhead but did not give a signal. It was as if he realized the complicated situation. Things were not going as they expected.

 _If we tried to scare the younger female and make her flee, that would leave the male either having to defend her or otherwise distracting us by leading us away._ Violet was drawing more upon what she'd seen her brother do when she was threatened than any hunting strategies she'd seen. _If he leads us away, we'll have isolated him. If he fights while the female flees, we'll have a good chance of running her down. Ugh, I wish I could talk to somebody. I think I might have an idea, but am I even allowed to suggest it? We did commit to a plan so… hey what's that?_

Long experience had told Violet what rustling leaves sounded like. _Is there supposed to be someone there? I can't remember._ Not sure how to alert Petrie and unable to ask a packmate to investigate without abandoning her position, Violet reluctantly decided to keep one eye on the swimmers and another, along with both ears, on the sounds she was hearing. _Whoever it is, they're not that good at sneaking. I wish Dodger were here. He could investigate himself or tell others my idea without being noticed. They might even consider it coming from him._ Violet was certain she'd disqualified herself from any more suggestions about strategy at least until Thud and his pack returned.

 **Caw!**

 _Okay, I guess thinking is over._ Violet cautiously started to move forward, taking only slightly less care in her movements than if she were seriously trying not to be noticed. The plan had called for her to be seen, after all. Deciding that the younger female was a better target for a single fastbiter, Violet moved in that direction. However, she kept almost all of her attention on the male. _I don't want to die because of a swimmer. A threehorn, sure. A longneck, maybe. A two-footer, that's normal. A swimmer? I'd be remembered forever as the worst fastbiter that ever lived._

The male saw the fastbiter almost immediately as he began to send out a low hum. As if on cue, the elder female ran into the water and the younger female edged towards its blue waves, but that was when a horrific scream could be heard.

"Momma!"

As if on cue, Cera's group descended upon one of her children, causing the female to hesitate despite the danger.

 _Um, now what do I do?_ Violet wondered. Not entirely sure if she'd been directly seen or if she'd just given away that she was in the area, Violet continued to edge towards the younger female. If nothing else she could make the swimmers more confused. _Hopefully she's too distracted. I might be able to get an attack in if I'm lucky…_

That was when she saw it. The male turned his entire attention onto the remaining female and charged at Taunt as he descended upon one of the children. It was only his swiftness that prevented him from being trampled, but that was when she saw that in the chaos Ducky had been knocked over. Until she got back up she would be defenseless.

"Now!"

It was at that moment that a familiar voice called out behind her. Thud's voice.

 _What is Thud doing here?! I wonder if that means everyone else is here?_ Violet quickly looked around to make sure that she wasn't about to get charged. When she was certain of that she got as close to a bush as she could to wait until things were slightly less chaotic. She had no intention of being in the way of a rushing fastbiter pack. _Battles make more sense than this. What's going on?_

 **Crash!**

The ground shook as the male stumbled as Littlefoot slashed his legs in an attempt to buy Ducky time. However as the other packmates helped to get her to safety, Littlefoot's bravery had left him open to attack. Within moments the swimmer attempted to slam Littlefoot's body into the ground as he kept hold of the swimmer's legs.

Not sure whether she was being brave or stupid, Violet rushed the swimmer in an attempt to help or at least distract him from his attempts at crushing her pack leader.

Littlefoot desperately tried to remove himself from the swimmer, but his claws were firmly embedded in his shredded flesh. Now his claw's greatest strength had become a glaring weakness. As the swimmer thrashed about in pain there was every possibility that Littlefoot could be crushed once the swimmer fell.

"Seeker!"

Hearing Ruby's voice, Violet turned in her direction, hoping she'd know what to do. She had a plan of her own, but she'd be the first to admit she'd never actually had a good plan and managed to see it through to its _intended_ conclusion. "Any ideas?" Violet asked, though it was more of a shout to be heard over all the noise. The swimmer was understandably very loud and very, very angry.

Ruby did not hear her friend but could see a flash of violet as she sprinted towards the swimmer. Seeing what Violet was about to do, Ruby decided to do the same and sprinted in the same direction.

 _Okay, two is better than one,_ Violet thought when she saw Ruby copying her. Being closer, she acted first, jumping onto the swimmer's side as she would've in a regular hunt, hoping to either kill him or at least take his thoughts off the fastbiter that was currently trying to detach himself from his leg. _If Dodger sees this he's going to kill me, new pack leader or no._

The swimmer screamed in pain as Violet's claws dug into his abdomen, causing the viscera to spill out as she slid down his flesh with a sickening hiss. Ruby's claws also met their target as she dug into the swimmer on the other side. Within moments Violet could feel the swimmer falter as he swiftly began to lose consciousness due to the pain and blood loss.

Despite jumping off a non-moving swimmer this time, her landing wasn't any more graceful. Landing at an angle Violet overbalanced and ended up on her face. _Ow. Again. I'm not that far off the ground and I_ still _can't land on my feet?_

That was when a sudden shadow began to appear over her as the swimmer began to tumble in her direction.

"Mender!" Ruby and Littlefoot both cried.

Violet let out a shriek of alarm and tried to jump out of the way, not getting very far. _Now I won't be_ entirely _crushed._

"Gotcha!" Taunt cried as he tackled Violet in an attempt to knock her out of the way. As the two tumbled end over end, the sound of the crashing swimmer could be heard as a deafening roar. It took several moments for Violet to realize that while she was now safe, Taunt had unintentionally pinned her.

"Taunt, could you get off me?" Violet gasped, "Before Stern Claw sees?"

Taunt groaned as he rolled off of Violet. "You're welcome… urgh… but don't worry, I am sure Stern Claw will kill me for even attempting that."

"Taunt!" Stern Claw's panicked voice called out.

"See?" Taunt's fatigued but humor-filled voice noted.

"Thanks, by the way," Violet said as she stood up. _Ow, my chest hurts._

"Violet!" Violet heard her old name shouted, followed by her brother rushing over. "Are you okay?" Dodger's voice had an edge of panic to it.

"I'm fine," Violet said, trying to reassure herself as much as her brother, "I'm just a little sore." _And possibly bleeding._ She quickly covered up where Taunt had unintentionally cut her.

Littlefoot struggled to get to Violet and Taunt, as Ruby carefully inspected his body for injury, "Thank goodness everyone is alright!" Littlefoot then examined her carefully with an edge of concern to his voice. "Mender, lift your arms please."

Violet extremely reluctantly moved her hand. _Help. Dodger's not going to like this._ "Its nothing." _Though that's a bit too much blood to be 'nothing'._

"Ruby, gather some healing plants, quickly!" Littlefoot then turned to Dodger. "Head bleeds often look worse than they are, but we need to get it under control. Dodger, I need you to put your hands on her wound."

Dodger didn't even hesitate. "Not even one day, sis. Not even one day." He was shaking his head in exasperation. _Only you, Violet, only you. I guess it's Mender, now, though. Good name._

"Damn it!" Spike's agitated voice could be heard, "Thud's pack nearly ruined the hunt!"

Ducky hissed back, "Quiet, brother! We kept it secret so they couldn't have known."

Thud walked onto the scene as he and Swift noted the injuries to Violet and Taunt. Despite the vine armor, Taunt had taken a few cuts as well.

"This was a mistake," Thud noted upon seeing the effects of his initiative. He should have been more careful before doing a hunt in Littlefoot's own territory. He bowed his head in apology to Littlefoot who waved it off.

"You couldn't have known, Thud. We tried to keep the hunt secret." He shook his head. "Violet was supposed to be the main distraction, but when he saw all of you he overreacted, and we had to move up our plans."

"You had her do what?" Tracker asked, having only just gotten close enough to hear. She knew she was breaking a few rules and probably nearly breaking several more, but she just didn't care right now. Her best friend, her little sister, had nearly gotten killed and apparently had the most dangerous job to begin with. Judging by her mate's glare Dodger was having similar thoughts.

Littlefoot sighed. "She wasn't supposed to engage the prey. She was supposed to be seen by the swimmers, causing a panic, and then Stern Claw's group and my group were going to cut off and attack one of the females."

Chomper suddenly spoke, surprising Thud's pack who had not heard him approach due to being focused on what was going on in front of them, "And then I was going to take it down, but Haven fell down."

Ducky looked down in shame. "I'm so sorry, it was my fault. It was, it was."

"You okay, Haven?" Violet asked, more concerned about possible injury to her friend than her own injury. Beside her, Dodger had to hide a smile at his sister's odd sense of priorities.

"I'm fine, Mender," Ducky confirmed, "I am glad you protected our leader, but I wish you were not hurt."

"There are certain times when it is acceptable to disobey orders, and that was one of those times," Littlefoot spoke with a tone that communicated gratitude, "But right now I want you to obey this order, okay? Try to stand still so that we can get your cut treated."

"Yes, sir," Violet replied, freezing as she did so.

"I have the leaves!" Ruby exclaimed as she and Breeze arrived with several of the soothing leaves. Ducky got into position to help as the others were shooed away.

"This will sting a little, Mender," Ruby noted as she placed the first of the leaves on the wound.

Violet hissed in pain but held still. _You and I have very different definitions of 'a bit', Ponder._

"This is a big bleeder, but the cut does not look big," Ducky confirmed with obvious relief in her voice, "Looks like you will have a new battle scar, Mender."

"Not again," Violet muttered. _A scar from a swimmer, or at least because of one. Really?_ "It didn't make that one I got from Prowler look worse, did it, Dodger?" Violet asked more loudly.

"Actually, I think it went right over it," Dodger said. Violet smiled in reply.

"A scar gained from protecting packmates is nothing to be ashamed about," Taunt confirmed as he examined his sickle claw, "I regret not being more careful, but I had to act before the swimmer fell," he then sunk his claws in the swimmer's corpse in obvious frustration. The sounds of the mournful females and children were now completely ignored by the sharpteeth.

"Thanks for looking out for her," Dodger told Taunt, "I owe you one."

Taunt shook his head. "It is just what packmates do for one another. If I had to do it again then I would," he ignored Cera's growl of frustration at Taunt's stunt. She could not disagree with his reasoning, but she had no desire to see him risk his life again.

"There," Ruby smiled, "I think if we keep pressure then the bleeding will stop. We just need to put some more 'no infection sap' on once it stops to keep the infection away."

Taunt couldn't help but smile. "Does that mean Mender is mended?" Cera's playful slap against his skull was audible to everyone present.

Ducky rolled her eyes. "I think so, yep, yep, yep!"

"I'm going to try to never get hurt again so I never hear that joke again," Violet said rather follow her initial impulse and bang her head against a tree.

"Ha, now you are beginning to sound like my mate!" Littlefoot teased only to be playfully slapped by Ruby.

"Males…" Ruby groaned, which earned a laugh from most of those present. It was partially due to the humor of the situation and partially due to the immense relief that everyone felt.

"Well," Thud spoke again as he considered the fallen swimmer, "That could have gone more smoothly, but I think that you all have reason to be proud of what you have accomplished."

Leap then looked at the swimmer as well. "I guess there are plenty of candidates to take the first bite, huh? Heroics all around."

Littlefoot nodded. "Well this was meant to be a gift, so even though I got the first strike I think that the first bites should go to our departing packs… or pack?" he questioned.

"Pack," Dodger clarified, holding up one claw. He then nudged Tracker to follow him so they were with their new packmates.

"For the time being, at least," Thud clarified, "A bigger pack will be stronger during the Dry Times."

Littlefoot smiled. "Well then, Thud, I do believe the honor of the first bite is yours."

"Yeah, so hurry up so the rest of us can eat!" Taunt responded playfully to his father.

"Son, I'm surprised no one has eaten you yet," Thud deadpanned.

Cera rolled her eyes. "I have been tempted."

"Love you too, dear!" Taunt responded sardonically.

"Bite me!" came Cera's reply.

 **Nip!**

"It wasn't an invitation, you annoying…"

As the banter between the mates continued with the two packs looking on, Violet spared herself a glance at her brother, "You know, his humor grows on you after a while, but don't tell him that."

"Okay..." Dodger said, taking a step away from his sister in case she decided to copy Taunt.

Violet smirked. "Look on the bright side, brother. You are in Thud's pack now, and who do you think taught Taunt?"

Dodger groaned. "I'm not going to survive this, am I?"

Violet rolled her eyes. "You have survived worse."

Dodger was about to react when suddenly a chunk of swimmer hit him in the side, and Thud took the opportunity to speak, "I will let all of you know that I am not responsible for my son's terrible sense of humor. Though I did give him my charming personality."

Violet grinned. "Never mind, brother. You are doomed."

All of the fastbiters present laughed at the antics of Thud and Violet as the reality of the situation descended upon them. One pack was destroyed and in its place stood two expanded packs, but all of their members still remained. Though many changes had occurred and many more would be in store one thing was certain.

Whatever changes came they would face them together.

* * *

Several hours passed as the fastbiters devoured their prey in the manner of their species. Moments of ravenous feasting were punctuated by moments of rest as their gizzards processed the savory meal. However the feasts became shorter and the rests became longer as the swimmer swiftly became a bloody skeleton. It was during this respite that Violet took a long look at her assembled friends.

 _I guess this is the last time we'll be seeing each other for a while. I hope I made the right choice,_ Violet thought. The idea of being separated from the two people she'd spent nearly half her life with was still bothering her.

"Well, the swimmer was good while it lasted…" the deep voice of a familiar two-footer boomed in the distance.

"Yeah, it was good before a certain two-footer came by," Taunt mocked, "How much does it take to fill you up, anyway?"

"I don't know." Violet could hear the smile in his voice. "I imagine that I could fit in a fastbiter as dessert."

As if on cue, Violet felt Taunt edge closer to her.

"Ha! Coward!" came Chomper's boastful voice.

"I am just being prudent!" Taunt retorted as both Chomper and Cera laughed at the exchange.

"Then shouldn't you be next to someone that can't outrun you?" Violet asked, half joking, half not entirely getting Taunt's thought process. To her it would make more sense to get a few more obstacles between her and the two-footer.

Taunt smiled. "Path I can outrun… but not if my mate is holding me down!"

"Ha! Now you understand how his mind works," Cera muttered.

Taunt snorted. "I know how you think, dear!"

"Thank the stars I don't understand how yours works." Cera shook her head.

Violet considered speaking, but Littlefoot beat her in the verbal race, "Could you two flirt somewhere else? Some of us don't want to throw up our hard-fought meal."

Taunt rolled his eyes. "This isn't flirting… if you want to see what us flirting looks like then…"

"No!" came the response from Ruby, Littlefoot, and Thud simultaneously, which earned a playful smirk from Taunt. He knew that he had earned the annoyance of the others, which, in his mind, meant that he had won. The scent of self-satisfaction and humor radiated from him.

 _I'm never going to understand Taunt_ , Violet thought, _Never._

"Don't let Taunt pull your tail," came a whispered hiss from Ducky.

"Huh?" was Violet's confused response. While she was pretty sure most fastbiters meant she was being messed with, one never knew whether Taunt would decide to make it literal. She did her best to slightly distance herself from Taunt just in case.

Taunt, having heard Ducky's whisper and Violet's reaction, laughed softly, but said nothing. _If I were to attack your tail, Violet, then you would attack me, my mate would attack me, and Dodger would attack me. No, thank you!_

Ducky tried to suppress a chuckle. "I meant to not take him too seriously. You know how Taunt is. Yep, yep, yep!"

"That's why I can't ever figure out what he's going to do next," Violet replied, "I still can't figure out why some of his jokes are supposed to be funny." _I might be thinking about them a bit too literally._

"My mommy and daddy tried to eat him before he was in a pack," Chomper muttered as he pried his mouth between the swimmer's ribs in an attempt to find a few more morsels of meat, "So it has become a running gag. He acts like Taunt; I act like I am going to eat him; he runs off like the coward that he is..."

"Hey!" Taunt protested, somewhat disappointed that Chomper now had an opportunity to get another word in, but his mate's playful tackle of him soon kept him otherwise occupied.

Littlefoot groaned playfully. "If we didn't want to see you two flirting, then we certainly don't want to see that…"

As both Taunt and Cera rose from the ground with deflated expressions, Littlefoot couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. They were just playing, obviously, but it still felt good to win at a battle of wits. Though he knew that he would soon be on the receiving end of playful reprisals.

 _Okay, what just happened?_ Violet wondered, trying to keep up with what was going on and understand it all at the same time. It only left her confused. She still wasn't used to messing around not leading to at least a warning if not serious repercussions.

Thud stretched from his place near the swimmer as he muttered to his packmates, "Seeker just invited more trouble for himself. I know how my son is."

"Does he ever stop?" Dodger wondered aloud, "He's going to overdo it one day." _And hopefully it won't involve my sister._

Leap shook his head. "I am sure he knows his limits. If Stern Claw hasn't killed him yet, then he must know where to stop."

Swift chuckled. "I still remember the time he rubbed those fish in burning grass and then gave them to you as a 'gift'."

Leap groaned. "Don't remind me…"

Thud looked at Dodger. "That earned Taunt a tackle into the burning grass during the next hunt. Leap can be surprisingly forceful when he is upset."

"Those sap-sucking things hurt!" Leap defended himself as Swift and Thud both laughed. Leap also reluctantly laughed after a pause.

"What is that? I've never heard of burning grass before," Tracker asked. _And I'd like to avoid it from the sound of it_ , she mentally added.

Thud suddenly looked surprised. "Um… you might want to look down…"

Tracker looked down, a bit alarmed and not all that used to tricks. Her poor attempts at the same demonstrated that.

Thud smiled. "Ha, made you look! But seriously, don't worry... the fire grass is very distinct and has red stems. I will show it to you when it is in season."

"And that where Taunt get it from!" Petrie's amused voice screeched from atop the swimmer's bare ribs.

Tracker was glad for Petrie's interjection. It helped her hide the bit of hurt she felt at being tricked. _At least he's not trying to make me miserable. And he put more effort into it than Prowler's insults._ _There's a reason none of us three are that good at jokes. Or maybe it's us two, now, since Violet, or Mender now if I heard right, is not staying with us._

Almost imperceptibly, Littlefoot rose from his resting position as he nuzzled his mate, then he gave a long look at Ducky. She knew the message immediately.

Ducky suddenly grew rigid as she realized what was coming. "Mender, it might be a good idea to talk to our guests before they have to leave." As if to make her point she looked towards Littlefoot slightly; it was a clear invitation for Violet to see Littlefoot's posture and take the hint.

Violet could see the other packmates… her packmates, she corrected herself. They were beginning to walk towards Littlefoot, while Ducky was doing it with obviously slowness, as if to buy Violet some time. While not quite getting what was going on just from looking, Ducky's words cleared things up for Violet. She hurried over to her former packmates.

"Hey," Violet suddenly felt unsure of what to say, "Um… hello, Dodger… Tracker." It was all that her mind could process at that moment.

"It's Verant now," Dodger corrected, sounding a bit awkward.

"Staza," Tracker said, raising a hand, "It's just Hidden Runner for 'tracker'."

Violet hesitated a bit. "Oh, sorry! I guess we have new names to get used to." She then looked back at her pack as Ducky slowly walked back towards them, "Am I missing something? What is going on?"

"It's about time for us to go," Dodger explained. Thud had given him a warning shortly before his sister had rushed over.

"Oh," Violet muttered as the enormity of the situation began to fall upon her. This was it. Within mere moments her loved ones would be on their way, and she would be with a pack of her own. It would be the last time she would see them in quite some time. "I can't believe it is time."

She took a deep breath as she tried to keep her nerves under control. "About my choice, brother…"

"Like you said, it's your choice. Not mine. I couldn't be more proud of you," Dodger said, cutting his sister off, "Just try not to get crushed by a swimmer, okay?" _And this is why I don't tell jokes._

Violet snorted slightly at her brother's comment. "I will try to avoid that," she deadpanned, "But I am sure that my pack will keep watch over me… just as you have." She smiled warmly as she turned to Tracker.

"And you keep swimmers from falling on him, alright?" Violet spoke with a humorous glint in her eyes, which hid her sadness over the parting, but not its scent.

"Not a problem," Tracker said. _Oh, Violet…_ she thought when she caught her friend's not exactly hidden scent. "We'll miss you," she said softly.

Violet swallowed as she tried to keep her emotions in check. Were they in the same pack like before she would have offered her friend a hug, but she was unsure how to act now. Luckily her friend was willing to take the initiative for her.

Tracker pulled Violet into a hug, not caring if she had just broken a rule or not. This was the last time she'd see her friend in a long time. "You take care of yourself, alright?"

Violet nodded, trying to keep herself somewhat composed, "I will. And take care of yourselves," she then looked over at her brother as she gave the customary parting that she remembered from somewhere in her past, "I hope that the coming seasons are kind to you and your pack."

"May they be just as kind to yours," Dodger replied, barely able to hide his elation. How many times had he heard his father use that phrase? He'd lost count. _She remembered something, even if she doesn't realize it. I never once used that where she could hear. Ever._

It was then that Violet noted the outlines of her brother's face. It reminded her of another face from long ago. A face that did not have a name attached to it, only an emotion. It was in a burst of clarity that it came to her, though she did not realize it at the time.

"Father would have been proud of you." Violet turned from her brother as if to sprint away and hide her emotions, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"He would have been more proud of you," Dodger told her, "I just did what I was supposed to do." _All I know how to do._ "I wish I could've done better by you."

Violet then hugged Dodger, no longer caring about how it looked to the others. "Don't ever say that! You did the best that you could."

Thud watched the scene with barely concealed emotion as he gestured for Leap and Swift to get near him. He knew that Dodger and Tracker were now packmates for the time being, they were family to Violet first and foremost. He would allow this to run its proper course.

"You deserved better," Dodger said, his tone daring his sister to contradict him again. He looked at where both packs had gathered. _I guess it's time to go._ He sighed. "May the stars guide your path, and our songs guide your heart." He slowly but deliberately stepped back, gesturing towards his sister's new pack.

Violet had no idea what to say to her brother's words, and simply responded by instinct, "Our songs will never leave me," it was then that she noticed that her new pack had assembled. There was only one member left to join.

Her.

"Goodbye," Violet finally said as she began to walk to her new packmates. Each new step felt like a kick to her chest. A sense of finality had finally washed over her.

 _It is never easy,_ Thud thought to himself as he watched the scene, _But a parent must let his children rise or fall, lest they never become adults of their own. Rise, Mender, and make my allies proud,_ as he thought this his eyes met that of his son's, who was having similar thoughts.

 _At least she can leave on better terms than some of us do. Don't worry, Dad, we will keep a good eye on her._

Violet took her place a bit behind Ducky. _If I knew it would hurt this much, would I have made the same choice?_ She didn't have an answer for that.

Littlefoot raised his entire body so that he was at full height. Then, with deliberate slowness, he gestured towards Thud, "Thud, Swift, Leap, Verant, and Staza. Your presence was a welcome one, but our territory is our own," he said in a ceremonial manner. Technically it was not required, but he felt that formality in this instance was best to show respect. For Thud's pack it didn't matter, but for others it most certainly would.

"The honor was all ours, gracious host." Thud bowed slightly with such over-formality as to suggest mockery, which made Taunt stifle a laugh. "But we shall honor your territory."

The formalities were over, but Thud couldn't resist one final sentence to his packmates.

"...but if they wanted to catch us they wouldn't be able to anyway."

 _I guess that's it, then,_ Violet thought, not really being able to hear anything Thud's pack was saying. _I'm alone now._

Littlefoot smirked, not realizing Violet's inner monologue. "Alright, Taunt. Since your dad has invited it, you can try to catch him. The rest of us will walk."

"Leaving all of the fun to me, huh?" Taunt asked.

Cera rolled her eyes. "Nah, we just want to see you make a fool of yourself!"

As if on cue, Taunt nodded at his father and bowed to indicate play. Then, in a split instant, the two went sprinting away, with Thud trying to reach the boundary of the territory before his son could catch him.

Ruby chuckled softly. "Families… even when we grow up, we don't outgrow them."

* * *

 **The present:**

Mender's tones reached a happy crescendo as she brought her song to a close. Though the song always ended on a happy note, the song was understandably bittersweet. It was the ending of one life and the start of another in many ways, and the ending of a life always involved a loss. In this case it was the loss of having her brother and Tracker in her pack.

She smiled as she smelled the tell-tale scent of markings by the stream. Had the pack marked by the stream in the past then she probably would have never found the pack in the first place. No injury to Tracker… no reconciliation… no self-realization… no pack membership. But now the scent markings were very prominently placed, as if they knew that Cynnil's pack would follow a similar path as Prowler's pack had done so many years prior.

That was when it hit her: they were at the pack's territory. She had been so focused on her song that she had not noticed…

"Okay, this is just a bit _too_ familiar," Mender commented, finding the irony both hilarious and more than a bit unnerving.

"I guess they want to make sure you know whose territory it is this time," Orchid muttered with a laugh, remembering the song about how her original pack had encountered Littlefoot and the others in the most unfortunate way, "But… um… what is the correct way to do this?"

"Not repeating what I did would probably be a good place to start," Mender said, "I'm honestly not sure how this is supposed to work."

"Sure you do," Cynnil encouraged as she glanced at the pack's two 'guests, an excited Arial and petrified Nahoda, "The first step is to announce that we are here."

"I think Spotter has already alerted them to that fact," Buse noted.

"Um…" Orchid began, pondering how to proceed, "How do we do that? Do we just shout out 'Here we are! Please don't eat us.'?"

"Well, if we were a normal pack it would be best to bring a peace offering. I vote for using that fastrunner that's hanging around somewhere," Mender said in an attempt to explain what needed to be done, "I don't think they'd expect us to bring down something big."

Nahoda shifted uneasily. "Well… we could get some fish from the stream, but…"

"You are not fond of some of its residents," Arial noted with amusement before giving him a playful nudge.

"A shame, I think he was rather fond of Nahoda," Buse added.

"Well maybe we could make sure that Opus is elsewhere and then get some fish," Orchid proposed, trying to avoid killing one of his own kind, "It is what us fastrunners are good at."

"That might work for you guys, but I don't think that'll work for me. It's not what fastbiters usually catch," Mender countered, "I don't mind hunting on my own this time." She turned towards Cynnil, seeking her input.

Cynnil understood what her packmate was suggested and gave her a curt nod. "That sounds like a plan, though you will need an escort. We are near the territory of another. Friends or not, we should not strike off alone."

"Buse, do you mind coming with me?" Mender asked her other hidden runner packmate.

As Buse and Mender descended into the tall grass they had no idea that they were being watched.

"Taunt, no!"

Cynnil turned suddenly as Nahoda and Arial only caught a glimpse of an orange tail disappearing into the waving stalks of verdant grass. Had Petrie's voice not alerted them to his presence then he would have never been seen.

"What does this mean?" Nahoda asked uncertainly as Cynnil shook her head.

"It means I'm going to need to hurry," Mender muttered irritatedly, "Come on, Buse." She turned and hurried back the way her pack had originally come.

The fastrunner sniffed the air with more than a hint of annoyance. He had found the perfect territory, chased off the weaker fastrunner resident, and had evaded the pesky fastbiters, and what was his reward for days of struggle?

The scent of a fertile female… that was already mated to another male!

He kicked the dirt in frustration as he struggled to find the scent trail. He had little doubt that he could deal with the male, but what if the female resisted? In a two-on-one battle the odds would certainly be against him. All of that was pulling on the rational side of his mind, but unfortunately that was not the side of his mind that was dominant right now.

 _He dared to mark my territory! He will regret that mistake!_

He shook his head in order to reset his focus once more. In order to catch the upstart he would have to find him… and that required focus. Closing his eyes and opening his mouth he sucked in deeply.

 _Fastbiter!_

Having apparently noticed the shift in the wind's direction, the fastbiter exploded out of her hiding place and rushed the fastrunner.

He burst forward, barely dodging her lunging claws as he let out a yelp of fear. Gone were his thoughts of victory and mates. Those were now replaced with the fear of impending death. Relying on his instincts he began to shift from side to side, forming an S pattern in his path of escape, hoping to dislodge his attacker. That was when his situation went from bad to worse.

"Na, na! I bet I can catch him first!"

He screamed as he jumped in a desperate attempt to avoid the sudden appearance of the orange fastbiter. With his legs burning with exertion and his heart threatening to beat out of his chest, he knew he was giving all that he could give.

But that was when fate smiled upon him.

The pursuing fastbiter barely managed to avoid a direct collision with her orange counterpart. Overbalancing as she tried to swerve around him, she soon found herself tumbling, any hope of catching her prey now lost.

The fastrunner allowed himself a victorious yelp as he continued his headlong sprint. He had just gotten a second chance at life… and love.

And despite the hardship he knew that he would be back.

* * *

Taunt bowed his head softly as he offered an arm to the fallen fastbiter. "Um… sorry, that didn't go as planned."

"You think?" Mender snapped back, still physically and emotionally sore from her fall. She still took the offered help, though. "I almost had him."

Taunt sighed as he could smell his mate approaching. "Well… if it's any consolation you get to see me get my head bitten off." He smiled as he heard an annoyed grunt from his mate in the distance. "In my defense I made Spotter a bet."

"You leave Spotter out of this!" the flyer protested from somewhere in the sky.

Taunt rubbed his head as he gave Mender a polite nod. "It is good to see you again, Mender. I take it that the journey went well until I came along?"

"Well, no one died, so I guess it turned out well," Mender replied, deciding to let Orchid tell about the incident with the threehorn himself, "Getting ready to leave, however..."

A rustling in the grass alerted them both that their conversation had come to an end as two hidden runners quickly broke into their line of sight despite their camouflaged feathers. The bright hues of Arial, Orchid, Nahoda, and Stern Claw soon appeared, however, turning the area into a rainbow of awkwardness.

"Taunt, you…" Cera paused, before noticing their company and giving a polite nod as she slapped her mate in the face with her tail, "Mender! It is so good to see you again!"

"I wish I could see you now…" Taunt muttered.

"Shut up, Taunt," Cera hissed under her breath, not breaking her happy expression at seeing a long-lost former packmate.

"Hi," Mender replied awkwardly, at a loss for how to behave.

"Welcome back, Mender."

Mender turned around to see a familiar face. One that she had not seen for years. With his brown body and red crest, she would recognize him from anywhere. The two small fuzzballs on his back, however, she had never seen before.

"I would like to welcome you all to our territory which our.. ahem… enthusiastic packmate has already done."

"But I did it so Spotter still owes…" Taunt began.

"Shut up, Taunt," came the response from nearly everyone present, which was then followed by laughter. It was then and only then that the other packmates came into view.

"Now there is a face I have not seen in many cold times, nope, nope, nope!"

"I wasn't _trying_ to stay away," Mender replied, now quite embarrassed at just how long she'd been away.

Mender was greeted by laughter as she walked towards the long lost fastbiter and, when she offered a polite nod, she was instead embraced by the green fastbiter. "It has been too long! You have not even seen my young ones yet, nope, nope, nope!"

"How many did you say you had again?" Mender asked once she finally pulled away from her friend.

"I have five little ones..Though they are not as little as the once were. Leap." She gestured for her mate to come to her side, which he did a bit awkwardly considering the circumstance. "has been a good father, though for some reason he wants me to do the child carrying."

Leap gave her a tail-smile. "Well, dear, you do have the feathers. I just have a back, and Verok and Aqua love to dig in with their claws." As if on cue two younglings ran from the grass and landed on his back, jumping up and down playfully.

"Are you Mender?" one asked in mid-jump.

"Momma talks about you a lot!" the other added before playfully bumping the other one nearly off of their father.

"She does?" Mender asked, surprised that Ducky would bother telling her kids about someone they'd never even seen before.

Leap carefully nudged the children as they returned to the ground. "Yep, we taught you all her song, haven't we?"

As if on cue the five children began the song in varying degrees of tone.

 **As Mender wandered with her p-p-pack,**

 **Through the void, mysterious and b-b-black,**

 **A folly would soon force them to unite,**

 **Though that would not occur without an unfort-u-nate fight**

Mender glanced at Ducky as if to ask why she'd told her kids about her adventures. Many of them weren't exactly pleasant, especially not as things she'd lived through.

"We started with how you met all of us, and how you joined the pack, but some of the _details_ will be covered later when they are older," Ducky noted in a whisper.

"And how I joined the pack was considered 'okay'?" Mender whispered back, "There's a few details I'm not sure are kid-friendly, a certain not so nice fastbiter being among them."

Ducky smiled. "Don't worry, Mender. If they are old enough to learn about the Battle for the Valley then they can handle that."

"Oh, look how you two have grown!"

Mender glanced over at Ruby talking with her siblings. It made her feel slightly better that she wasn't the only one that was getting attention.

Orchid protested as Ruby took it upon herself to examine her siblings and to pester them about their adult size, "You saw us only a few Night Circle cycles ago..."

Ponder put her hands on her hips in mock indignation. "And in those few cycles, my sister has found a mate, and my brother has decided to join my friend's pack. Speaking of which…"

Nahoda tried his best to stand tall and respectful as the predator drew closer. He only slightly flinched when Ponder politely touched his shoulder.

"Scared but still refuses to run… yep, I think you chose well, sis."

"He can definitely run," Mender called over to the fastrunners and former fastrunner, "Trust me on that one."

"And I do believe that he has run enough," Arial noted before giving him a hug, "So I don't think he needs to be trained right now."

"How are you going to put that in your song, Mender? **Though I was about to catch this fastrunner - having a blast - Arial neglected to tell me that it was her desired piece of as-**

As Taunt recovered from her mate's backhand and their kids laughed, Stern Claw simply shrugged. "Well, it was a somewhat catchy tune."

Arial groaned. "Is he always like that?"

"Always."

"Yep."

"Certainly."

"He's usually worse."

"That's our daddy!"

Mender did her best hold in a laugh. "At least one thing hasn't changed since I left." Though as the others began to laugh, she stopped trying to hold it in.

It was when everyone finally settled down that Littlefoot gave an alert call, and his pack fell into formation. Despite being surprised by the sudden change in tone, Mender quickly joined the rest of her pack in getting in formation as well.

"I must apologize for Taunt's attempt to win a bet… but I suppose it did 'break the frozen water' as the rainbowfaces would put it," Littlefoot began as he gestured at the smirking fastbiter, "Though we have neglected an important part of the greeting. We need to introduce ourselves because as you can now see… our pack has expanded since your pack has graced our lands."

He gestured at the numerous kids to make his point.

Littlefoot began as he gestured towards Ruby's feathered back, "On my mate's back are my son, Biter, and my daughter, Swipe. They have only recently had their first hunt."

 _I really hope they never find out how my first hunt went. Smell-blindness sorta makes everyone think you're useless. Not that I wasn't useless, because I was also smaller than everyone, but..._

"I guess it is my turn," Cera began as she gestured at her mate's back, "Here is my daughter, Ambush, and my two sons, Pouncer and Sprint."

"Here are our lovely sons, Sniffer and Nibble," Breeze affirmed as they jumped from Spike's back to hers, and then back again.

 _Somehow, I thought Taunt's kids would be the ones with the most energy. Guess I was wrong._

"Well, Mender has already met two of ours, but here are our children, our sons Fisher and Verok, and daughter, Tranquil, Aqua, and Dodger," Leap affirmed as he nuzzled each one, earning a few playful licks and chirps in response.

 _Okay, go... WHAT?_ Mender froze, stunned. _That's just... wow. Though considering how things went the last time I saw my brother and Leap together, this is a bit surprising._

"And Spotter's children with my mate right now. They are training to be messengers, and they send message to your brother and Staza, Mender."

This left only one member of the pack out of the greetings. It was a conspicuous absence.

"And you can all meet Path when you get to our dens… right now he has guard duty."

Nahoda looked around. "Guard duty? I think you all should be safe with this many claws around."

"Ah… but the welcoming dinner might not be safe," Littlefoot replied with a tail-smile.

"Longnecks tend to attract a lot of attention," Ruby clarified.

"There's a longneck herd around here?" Mender wondered aloud, "I haven't heard any."

"It was a straggler, actually. One that had gone on his final walk," Littlefoot spoke with a hint of melancholy, "I guess he wanted to see the pack of talking sharpteeth before he went to the Great Beyond. We obliged him."

"He had good leaf-eater stories," Biter noted, a hint of sadness in his voice.

"That he did," Littlefoot agreed.

"I actually tried listening in on one once," Mender said, "Got chased off for deciding a bully needed to pick on someone his own size."

Taunt laughed. "That sounds like a song in itself. The song of Mender, the bully, and the aborted hunt!"

"I didn't say I didn't catch him," Mender replied defensively, "I just didn't get to eat him for a while." _I can actually catch stuff, you know._

This earned laughter from everyone except for the obvious exception of the fastrunners. That was when Littlefoot waved everyone forward with his arm.

"Well then, Cynnil, would you accept my invitation for your pack to dine with us today? Luck has decided to give us all an offering."

Cynnil nodded. "Who am I to deny the offerings of fate? I gladly accept for my pack."

With the formalities over, the packs then intermingled once more as they all proceeded deeper into the territory of the pack. It was a curious inversion of what she had experienced years ago when her brother and Tracker were leaving the pack. A reminder of how much times had changed, and the power of memory. But now, despite the awkwardness of their meeting, and the words that still needed to be exchanged between friends, she felt at peace.

Without realizing it she began to hum the tune of her song under her breath.

* * *

 **The past:**

Violet watched her brother and Tracker disappear into the underbrush as her pack stood at attention at their territorial limits. Marked with their own scent, it was the demarcation line between 'home' and 'outside', between 'fight with your life' and 'fight only if necessary'.

Between pack and outsiders.

"Don't worry, Mender, I am sure we will see them again."

"And if we don't, Haven?" Violet asked, voicing her biggest fear. She could barely imagine losing what remained of her family, but the thought wouldn't leave her alone. She'd always worried when she couldn't see Dodger or Tracker, especially since for most of her life she couldn't knowingly smell anyone. Now that they were gone, she knew she'd go insane if that worry didn't fade. Unfortunately for her it had only intensified with every step Thud's pack took away from hers.

Ducky sat on her haunches as she watched the five fastbiters disappear from sight, "That is something that we all must deal with, Mender. We all worry about our mommies and daddies as well."

"Yep," Littlefoot confirmed, "I worry about my brother and father."

"Tria and my dad," Cera offered, she then nudged Taunt.

"Hey! Yeah, and my dad too."

"It be hard when your family be food," Petrie noted, "At least your family be sharpteeth. Me sure they be safe with Thud."

"I hope you're right," Violet said, not really convinced. She'd had too many near-misses in her short life to not still worry.

Ducky placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Your brother was able to keep you and Tracker alive for years, right?"

Violet nodded. _Had she said 'safe' I'd be lying if I told her 'yes'. Between Prowler and everything else, safe wasn't something I ever actually experienced. Did I feel safer with Dodger, I mean Verant, around? Yes. Did I feel completely safe? Rarely._

Ducky smiled, sensing part of what Violet was thinking. "Thud is no Prowler. I am sure he and Dodger will make a good team."

Spike muttered, "I thought Leap was his deputy?"

Taunt rolled his eyes. "I'm sure that will last a long time."

Spike stuck out his tongue. "Longer than your stint as spar leader…"

"So says the fastbiter who…"

Ducky tuned out the banter behind her as she looked into Violet's eyes. "You know, Mender, there was a song that all of us used to sing when we were leaf-eaters. A song that captured what was truly important, even when things seemed darkest."

"What was that?" Violet asked, extremely curious.

It was at that point that each of the original gang looked at one another, which made Taunt and Breeze look at one another in confusion. It must have been a song that they did not know.

Ducky smiled as she began, " **Don't lose your way… With each passing day… You've come so far… Don't throw it away.** "

 _Sounds a bit like something Tracker, er, Staza would have come up with,_ Violet thought _._

Cera then joined in, " **Live believing... dreams are for weaving… wonders are waiting to start.** "

 _Well, my life's definitely changed in ways I've never dared dream about…_

Ducky then sang again, " **Live your story… Faith, hope and glory… Hold to the truth in your heart.** "

 _What I know in my heart is that I'm just a smell-blind fastbiter. Maybe I can be more than just that, but I'm going to need help._

The entire pack then joined into the chorus, while Taunt and Breeze looked on in amazement, " **If we hold on together... I know our dreams will never die... Dreams see us through to forever... Where clouds roll by... For you and I.** "

 _Now I'm really wishing the others could have heard this,_ Violet thought, finally giving up on getting her family's new names correct for the day, _We stuck together and survived. I hope I didn't just mess that up…_ While still worried, Violet could manage a sad smile. The song could very well have described her old pack, summing up everything that happened to them in a way they'd never managed to do with far more words.

The pack then sang the next verse and chorus, working themselves up into a frenzy, as fastbiters in song were prone to do.

 **Souls in the wind**

 **Must learn how to bend**

 **Seek out a star**

 **Hold on to the end**

 **Valley, mountain**

 **There is a fountain**

 **Washes our tears all away**

 **Words are swaying**

 **Someone is praying**

 **Please let us come home to stay**

 **If we hold on together**

 **I know our dreams will never die**

 **Dreams see us through to forever**

 **Where clouds roll by**

 **For you and I**

 _Okay, this is just a bit_ too _accurate,_ Violet thought. Her pack had never once managed to find a place to stay. Just staying two nights in the exact same place invited trouble. _I'm not forgetting this song_ , she promised herself.

Violet had not noticed Taunt and Breeze move next to her as they watched their packmates sing the beautiful song. They had always assumed that leaf-eaters told stories, but it appeared that the gang had sung long before they obtained teeth and claws, back when they were leaf-eater younglings. Some part of Taunt almost wondered if that had been a harbinger of what was to come.

 **When we are out there in the dark**

 **We'll dream about the sun,**

 **In the dark we'll feel the light**

 **Warm our hearts, everyone**

 **If we hold on together**

 **I know our dreams will never die,**

 **Dreams see us through to forever**

 **As high as souls can fly,**

 **The clouds roll by**

 **For you and I**

If anyone had said anything to Violet she would not have heard them. She was nearly struck dumb by the song. It was beautiful, heartbreaking even, and applied to herself and her family in a way that the singers probably didn't even realize.

The entire pack then joined in singing the chorus one more time, as was the custom when being taught a new song. As their voice became quiet after singing the last note, however, the impact of the song became apparent to them all.

"You sang that as children?" Taunt questioned in amazement.

Littlefoot nodded. "It was something that my mother sang when times were dark. My friends and I kind of built upon it. There were no darker times than in those dark days before we reached the valley."

"I still remember some of it," Spike affirmed, "Even though I had just hatched… that song remains."

Violet looked at Spike, shocked. _If he'd just hatched then… oh. Wait, then how is he about the same age as everyone else? He's older than me! Ow, my head hurts._ She gripped her head in pain and frustration, having managed to give herself a slight headache.

Ducky noted her reaction and reflected on how she reacted to her brother earlier. "What is your earliest memory, Mender?" She had to make sure her hunch was correct.

 _Huh?_ "I thought… oh, wait, Breeze was the one asking me those questions that time. Where'd you go?" Violet may have been asking a question, but her tone suggested she was thinking out loud, a bad habit that had gotten her into trouble more than once, one she'd thought she'd broken.

"Right behind you," Breeze whispered, "Sorry I moved when the others were singing… but I agree with Haven's question. How far back do you remember?" She had remembered Violet's memory test from after her head injury, but she, like Ducky, was curious if anything new had arisen. _sometimes new experiences bring things back up._

"My first clear memory is Dodger dragging me back to the nest after I tried to sneak off. I wanted to see the Grand Valley for myself," Violet answered, "I was seven, okay?" _And I messed up with the new names thing. Again._

Littlefoot smiled. "Reminds me of the antics we got into."

Ducky nodded. "It is okay, Mender. I just thought that I would check. You had to experience saying farewell to your family today, and I thought that may have made you remember things."

Ruby nodded. "As my mate always tells me, your loved ones are always with you if you remember them. Some things you see with your heart."

"It was actually kind of weird. I said something to my brother that just felt right. I don't know where it came from. It's not something I would've come up with. I'm not that smart," Violet said.

Ducky clasped her on the shoulder. "You are smarter than you think; you are, you are! What did you say to him?"

"I hope that the coming seasons are kind to you and your pack," Violet said hesitantly, feeling quite embarrassed. It was far too formal a thing coming from her.

Littlefoot smiled. "And was that something that your brother taught you?"

"No," Violet replied, "I've never heard it before."

Littlefoot looked a bit perplexed as well, but that was when Taunt spoke.

"It is a very formal farewell between friends. I remember my dad telling it to me when my uncle, Screech came by." He shrugged. "That was before Redclaw came into the scene."

Littlefoot tilted his head. "So it is something that she must have learned from her parents?"

Taunt nodded. "I would assume so, yeah."

"Wha... How?" Violet asked, "If I took another hit to the head I'd forget my own name. How can I remember something I've forgotten?"

Ducky smiled as she looked into her friend's eyes. "This was the first parting you have experienced since you and Dodger.. er… Verant had to flee, right?"

"Since we got swept down a river, yes. Like my brother said, you guys are the first pack we've ever really had a chance to talk to. Though I guess Thud's has the honor of the being the first to not try to kill us." _Oops._ "Sorry," she said, moving into what was now a very familiar posture for her.

Littlefoot ignored the harsh truth the best he could, with only a slight wince indicating that he had heard it, "Then that must be why then. If this was your first parting since then… then this must be your first chance to recall that memory."

Ruby smiled as she bounded towards Violet. "Consider it a gift! As long as your parents are in your thoughts, they are never truly gone, even though they are gone!"

Ducky smiled. "Perhaps we can go back to the meeting place and sing the song again while you think about those parting words? Maybe you could put a face to the words then? Yep, yep, yep!"

"I can try," Violet said, not at all confident in her ability to remember much of anything.

As the pack walked back towards the meeting area, Violet felt oddly more connected to her family than she had when her brother had been with her face to face. A piece of the puzzle had been dangled close to her mind, and she marvelled at the promise it held. Despite her lack of confidence, some small part of her still had hope. Without realizing it she began to hum the song as the others walked in front of her.

 ** _Don't lose your way… With each passing day… You've come so far… Don't throw it away._**

She had remembered the running most of all. The emotion of fear and sadness, but that sadness had come from loss. A loss she could no longer remember… unless…

 ** _Live believing... dreams are for weaving… wonders are waiting to start._**

That parting had come from somewhere… perhaps her father was saying goodbye to an old friend, or a child who was ready to leave? Either possibility made sense. But what else had jogged her memory? Was it merely the parting?

 ** _Live your story… Faith, hope and glory… Hold to the truth in your heart._**

What part of the story was she missing? How could she attempt to tell it in her mind when the details were blacked out by the ravages of time and her injuries?

 ** _If we hold on together_**

Wait, that was it! She had also been looking at her brother when she had said the parting. Perhaps it was something about his demeanor?

 ** _I know our dreams will never die_**

Wait, he had said something different after I said my parting… what was it?

 ** _Dreams see us through to forever_**

That's when it came to her. 'May the stars guide your path, and our songs guide your heart.' It was something formal too. Almost like something a parent would say to a child who was leaving… that was when another scene came into view.

 ** _Where clouds roll by_**

A fastbiter that looked much like Dodger. The same eyes… similar coloration… the same stern commitment to his duties. She knew this fastbiter. But in her mind he had no name, only a label. Only an identity. It was then that it came back to her.

"What is it, Mender?" A voice seemed to come from somewhere in front of her, she vaguely realized. "What do you remember?"

 ** _For you and I_**

"Dad…"

* * *

 **The present, Verant's location:**

Nothing in Verant's life could prepare him for the sight that greeted his widened eyes. On the ground, now crimson and bare, lay the very thing that he had struggled to protect. More than his son lay on that bare Earth; his hopes and dreams also lay wounded against the merciless night.

He arrived at his child's side without knowing how he had gotten there, all of his awareness now fixed upon the now threatened life that he had failed. The life of his very son.

Staza all but obstructed anyone else's view of her son, trying to figure out just how bad her son's injury was. "Gyors? Gyors? Please, son, wake up." Her voice sounded more and more panicked with each word.

"Dad…" came a pained squeak as his son's body jerked. Then, as if the situation descended upon him at once, he screamed in pain as his body began to thrash.

It took all of her willpower for Staza not to panic; she wouldn't be able to calm her son down if she weren't calm herself. Rather bizarrely to onlookers, she started humming the familiar tune from when they were hatchlings.

 **Sleep little biters, don't you cry… The night will end, as the Circle rises in the sky...**

It took several moments, but eventually the little biter's thrashing ceased as he became more subdued. His scream dulling into a gentle cry. It was when Verant saw his son grinding his teeth and holding his forelimbs against his face that he realized that his son was struggling to control himself with determination beyond his age.

Verant took a shallow breath as he gently touched his son's shoulder, earning a sob before his son reluctantly turned his attention towards his father, only one eye open.

"Son, we need to take a look if we are going to make it better," he forced himself to say, despite knowing that there were certain wounds that time could not heal.

Slowly and reluctantly, his son removed his hands from his face. What greeted them was a confirmation of their worst fears. A large gash covering one of his eyes, clear fluid leaking from what was left of the orb.

"Should we try to get him to Seeker's?" Staza whispered towards her mate. She knew that there was no way to actually heal her son's injury, but maybe they could keep anything else from going wrong.

"We are still five days away," Verant whispered, the implications being clear.

"Is Gyors going to be okay, Momma?" one of the fallen fastbiter's sisters asked, as the others hid behind her, as if hiding from the fate that had befallen their brother.

"He'll be alright, Lula," Staza replied. Alright, in this case, meant that Gyors would live, assuming the injury didn't get infected.

"But his eye…" a brother, Tormid, protested. He was staring in transfixed horror at the sight before him. Even at his young age he knew what losing an eye meant for a hunter.

Despite the horror of what had transpired, Verant had managed to keep himself composed. From Ovie's terrible loss, the destruction of the hidden runners he had defended, to their flight from the now occupied territory, he had tried to be the rational one. The calculating one. The one who knew what to do. But the words of his other son made something in him break. For he knew what lay behind that utterance. It was an understanding that was as stark as it was unavoidable.

Without two eyes his son would not be able to hunt prey in the manner of their species. He would not be able to aim at a side and tear down as his prey fell before him. He would be unable to perform the most basic of tasks for any pack, which meant that critical test would be forever denied to him. As soon as his son left the time of parting, he would be a dead biter walking. No fastbiter lasted long without the benefit of a pack.

Verant looked away, his composure suddenly leaving him. If they saved their son from infection, what then? Were they just setting him up for an even more merciless end.

"As long as there is life, there is hope."

Verant turned again, only to see the familiar pink fastrunner staring back at him. Her voice was reassuring, but her eyes betrayed an inner hardness. She had not allowed herself to give in to death, and she was not going to let her savior do the same.

He did not answer, still trying to think about what to do next. For some reason he could not think of anything else but the words echoing in his mind. _Son. Doomed. Failure._

"You once talked to me about your sister, Verant. The famous Mender."

Verant jerked in response as Ovie continued to talk. Despite how she had turned out he still felt regret at not knowing now what he knew then. There were so many mistakes that could have been avoided.

"She overcame much in her life, and I am sure that your son will do as well. But only if you get up right now and tell the others what to do."

"You're right. You're right," Verant said. He shook his head, as if he could shake away his previous thoughts. "Help me get everyone up. We need to get moving. Where there's one hidden runner there's probably more." _And we need to get Gyors to a healer as soon as we can._

That was when he heard the most curious sound over his son's calming sobs. It almost sounded like a gust of wind, but the air was calm. Which could only mean…

"Thank goodness we found you! Are you alright?"

Verant was soon surrounded by flyers of all description. Three leaf-eater flyers were joined by one of Spotter's kind and even a carrion eater. That was when he noticed what they all held on their talons. An unmistakable red sap.

 _You guys couldn't have showed up a little sooner?_ Verant wondered irritatedly. "My son is hurt," he explained as calmly as he could. If he let himself show his worry now, he'd never get his composure back, and his son didn't have time to waste on panicking. "Could one of you fly him to Seeker's pack? They've got healers there."

"Dear?" Staza hissed with concern.

"Gyors needs a healer now," Verant explained, nuzzling his mate, "He can't afford to wait days for us to carry him there ourselves."

"But, what if he falls?" Staza whispered softly, "He is scared, Verant. Scared and hurt. He doesn't need to be alone right now."

"If he doesn't go soon, he's not going to make it," Verant emphasized, "Staying here isn't going to do him any good."

"Staza, right?"

Staza turned towards the flyer that had spoken, attentive and more than a bit concerned. She nodded in acknowledgment. "Yes?"

"I have done this before, hun. Sometimes when children get stranded in the valley they send one of us." She raised one of her talons. "These are not for killing, but they can hold your son tight. He won't be going anywhere but his destination."

"He won't fall?" Staza asked, somehow sounding both concerned and hopeful at the same time.

"Nope. But I think that he might appreciate his mother telling him so." As the flyer paused Staza noted her demeanor as she looked towards the fastbiter, this was a mother as well. "I take it that he has never been carried by a flyer before?"

Staza shook her head in response. "I'll tell him," she said before walking back to her son to do just that. "Gyors?"

The little biter almost didn't hear his mother over the calming chirps of his brothers and sisters who had made a protective shield around him of sorts. Their bodies quickly calming his racing heart with the sensation and smells of normality. He could almost imagine he was back to the way he was. That his assault had not happened.

"Mom?" his voice cracked, still in pain. As soon as he caught sight of the flyers his mind began to race. "Who are they?"

"Help," Staza explained simply, "One of them is willing to carry you to a healer if you'll let her."

The little fastbiter tried to hide his fear, but the scent gave him away. His parents had always warned them about potentially being snatched by flyers. "Carried by a flyer?"

"She's done it with kids in the Grand Valley many times," Staza said, doing her best to reassure Gyors despite her own misgivings, "You'll be perfectly safe."

Her son heard the reassurances, but his heart still quaked at the prospect of going off into the night alone with one of these flyers. He wanted to be with his family. He wanted to be where the smells communicated home and safety. But his mother's words communicated something else, an urgency that he seldom heard except when one's life was in danger. The smell of regret radiating off of both of his parents only confirmed his suspicions.

He swallowed. "It's okay, Mommy. You both did what you could." He was not about to let his parents wallow in guilt over what might await him.

"You're going to be alright, Gyors," Staza replied rather forcefully, hoping her son would understand it, "You're just going to see some friends of ours before we do."

Gyors looked at the flyer warily. If his mother said this was for the best then…

"I can go with you if you don't want to go alone."

Upon hearing Ungu's offer Gyors mind was made up. If his sister was willing to go on a flyer just to give him courage, then he would not let his will fail him here. Neither Mommy or Daddy acted like cowards and neither would he.

"I will do it," he affirmed simply as he took tentative steps forward, trying to ignore the stinging pain from his face. It had faded into the background now, his instincts forcing him to consider what he could change and not what he couldn't.

While absolutely relieved that Gyors was willing to be carried by the flyer, Staza wasn't entirely sure her heart didn't stop when Ungu moved to follow him. "Ungu..." she started to protest. Her daughter turned to look at her. "...look after your brother," she reluctantly finished.

"Okay, little one, if your parents have a vine then have one of them tie it around ya. This can help make sure that you are secure," the older flyer instructed as she examined the little fastbiter, grimacing once she saw his injury.

At the same time Ungu had walked right up to the carrion flyer, leaving him bemused. "You don't look hurt."

"I'm going with my brother so that he isn't lonely."

The carrion flyer looked at the plant-eater flyer with confusion before she gave him a nod. With a shrug he gestured for one of the others to tie the daughter too. "Loop it in front of her legs and then loop it around my neck."

"Ungu, while you're there, Haven's in charge until I get there," Staza instructed her daughter, "Understood?"

Ungu nodded as a hidden runner tied the vine around her, "Yes, momma. But how will I know which one is Haven?"

"You'll have to ask, but she's green," Staza replied, "She's a good friend of mine."

Ugnu nodded as the flyer placed his talons around her carefully, earning a gulp from the youngling. "Okay, Momma, I will."

Over at the other flyer, Verant was making sure that Gyors was ready to go. "We'll see you in a few days, Gyors," Verant said with more confidence than he felt.

Gyors tried to stay calm as he felt the flyer's talons around him, but as the pain threatened to overwhelm him again he allowed himself to submit to the inevitable. "Daddy, my friends and I were making a song for our friends who are with the ancestors. Can you help them finish it for me?"

"You'll help them yourself when we see you again," Verant replied forcefully, keeping the emotions welling through him away from his face. His son had no idea what he just implied, and Verant was not about to sing the end of his son's song just yet.

Gyors did not know why his father was so forceful in his affirmation, but he nodded nonetheless, "Okay, Daddy, see you in a few days."

The next few seconds seemed to drag on for several eternities as the two flyers let out a forceful flap of their wings, going airborne in a single stroke. Within mere moments their children were small objects quickly disappearing among the stars. Indistinguishable from the ancestors that watched over them. He could feel his mate lean against him, allowing the silent sobs to show now that they were hidden from the view of their remaining children. He gave her a nuzzle in return before making a quiet plea to the ancestors above.

"Keep an eye on them, will you? We need all of the help we can get."

He heard the remaining flyers cautiously move around him, obviously waiting for an audience but being unwilling to interrupt the parents in their moment of reflection.

"Yes?" he finally spoke, forcing himself to look away from the silent stars.

"If Wrok is capable of all this then what do we do now?"

Dodger glared at the flyer, his resolve unbreaking. "It's simple. We kill him."

* * *

 **Thanks for the comments, everyone. My apologizes for the delay in getting this out, but the end of the semester is approaching and both Historian and I have been quite busy. Nonetheless I hope that you enjoy this installment.**

 **byran mccloud : **Interesting thoughts there. I suppose it is possible that the now half-blinded child could become a healer one day, though in his case it is an especially cruel wound. Much like with Charger, in Songs of the Hunters, losing an eye is a special disability. Whereas Charger would not be usable as a fighter, in Gyors case it would prevent him from being an effective hunter, as depth perception is necessary for guiding the pounces onto prey. And, of course, he who cannot hunt is most likely not going to be accepted into a pack one day... we will have to see how his situation develops.

 **gordhanx : **Thank you for the in-depth review! As for Gyors, as we have seen he is not dead yet... though damage has certainly been done. And now we have some idea about how he and Seeker's pack are going to intersect. A most happy homecoming is about to be shattered with news of a most unhappy variety. Though it has taken over 230,000 words the introduction is over... now the conflict truly begins.

 **Keijo6 : **You are quite correct about the ending, though Gyors still is not out of the woods yet. As for the number of new characters, there are quite a few, though several were introduced before. Ugnu and Gyors were Verant's kids, for example, whereas the hidden runners... well... we will see if they make another appearance. Let's just say that how people live and manage to survive under oppressive leaders is as interesting as the oppressive tyrants themselves. Sometimes we must simply do what we must in order to survive.

Oh, and this should only be a 3 act story. Though considering how long Act 1 was your word count may not be that far off. XD Though I would be surprised if this story exceeded 550,000 words.


	22. Act 2 - Chapter 18: A big leap

**-v-**

 **Act 2**

 **Chapter 18: A big leap**

 ** _"Information is the most important commodity in the universe. It can make the difference between life and death, success and failure, and prosperity and famine. But more important than information itself is its verification."_**

 ** _~Ponderings on Espionage, Consortium Training Text_**

* * *

Nahoda examined the scrape with a look of satisfaction. It was the perfect place in many ways: hidden from obvious view by multiple bushes, under a small canopy of trees to prevent its occupants from being soaked in a rainstorm, and it was carved using his bare claws. He couldn't help but smile with pride at his handiwork. For once in his life he figured that he had thought of everything.

"Watcha doin?"

Nahoda jumped in surprise at the sudden voice from above him, before he felt something land on his back with a resounding thud. Feeling the tell-tale sensation of claws, he took off out of instinctual fear.

"Whoa, Mr. Fastrunner! You're fast!"

Nahoda slowly began to come back to his senses upon again hearing the child-like voice from his back. It sounded almost like…

"Pouncer! Quit riding Arial's mate!"

Nahoda cringed. As if being terrified for his life wasn't enough, he had to have his moment of terror discovered by others.

"Oh, Mom! It wasn't my fault! Nahoda knocked me off of the tree!"

The fastrunner closed his eyes. _Of course… he asked me his question when he must have been on the tree above the scrape. Stupid, Nahoda! Stupid!_

"And why were you above Nahoda's scrape, dear?"

There was no answer from his back, but Nahoda could sense the young predator cringing.

"Oh, he was just watching me make the scrape. It is no problem," Nahoda spoke suddenly, surprising even himself, "He just… kind of spooked me when he slipped."

He allowed himself to look backwards at the little biter on his back, giving him a slight wink as the fastbiter looked at him dumbfounded. The fastrunner had just given him an out.

"Oh, all right. But don't pester Nahoda too much, Pouncer. I am sure he has work to do."

As Stern Claw sprinted back to her sleeping area, undoubtedly to deal with some situation caused by his siblings, Taunt, or some combination thereof, the small fastbiter was left with one realization: the hidden runner he had been pestering had just saved his tail.

"Why did you do that, sir?"

Nahoda did not answer immediately. To be honest he somewhat was unsure of why he had acted the way that he had. But in the end he allowed that part of himself that had acted to speak on his behalf.

"A childhood is too short to be spent in trouble. Trust me, little one, you will miss that when it is gone." Nahoda began to walk back towards the scrape. "Just do me a favor, will ya?"

The fastbiter nodded.

"Please tell me how to fix this scrape before Mender bites my head off for leaving it open to attack."

Pouncer smiled. "She sounds like Mom!"

Nahoda shivered. "All the more reason not to have her mad at me, right?"

Pouncer jumped off of the fastrunner's back before giving him a respectful bow. One good deed deserved another. Besides, Pouncer already decided that he liked this fastrunner. He wouldn't eat him even if the pack said it was okay.

* * *

"How do you manage to keep track of five kids?" Mender asked Haven, finally having found some time away from said kids.

Leap looked behind him to make sure the kids were still with the rest of Taunt's children. With that group of youngsters you never knew what mischief they could get up to.

"It's kind of like trying to watch five ground fuzzies at once," Leap muttered with a sigh, "You just try to keep anyone else from eating them and try not to look like an idiot in the process."

This earned him a playful smack and a laugh from Ducky.

"They are quite the handful at this age, but they mind well when it is necessary," Ducky clarified, "Though I do fear that Stern Claw might need your help, Dear."

"Are they trying to kill themselves?" Mender wondered aloud, looking over to see Ducky's kids climbing up a rather tall tree while Leap ran over to keep an eye on them.

Ducky watched the scene play out as Leap called out for the kids to come down from their ill-advised race. Two of the children were so high up on the tree that they looked like treestars blowing in the wind. Her answer surprised her old friend. "I always tell them not to do this, but they never listen. Nope, nope, nope. It is always the same tree."

"I hope Verant and Staza's kids don't get that adventurous. Though, considering that even I was a bit adventurous when I was little..." Mender shrugged with a laugh, "they're probably out of luck."

Ducky laughed as she saw the children finally get down off of the tree while Leap did his best to give the kids a stern talking to. As Stern Claw came on the scene, however, he quickly allowed her to take the lead. He looked relieved to no longer have to perform that duty, but the kids certainly did not.

"Well, you know our songs. I did not go up trees but was picked up by flyers, used as bait for Redclaw's daddy, got trapped in the shifting sands…" Ducky trailed off. "There is a reason that we are not singing some of the songs to our kids until they get older. We do not want to give them any more ideas. Oh, no, no, no."

"So they haven't been trying to die the way you guys told me you were when you were kids?" Mender asked, only half serious. She still found it hard to believe how often her friends, or at least the former leaf-eater ones, had risked their lives when they would have been such easy meals had they been anyone else.

"Well…' Ducky noted as she watched the kids begin to play a much less dangerous game of Hunter and Prey, "Since the last Cold Time Biter secretly befriended a leaf-eater, Biter and Swipe nearly got crushed by a longneck, all of our kids specifically disobeyed our instructions and got into the middle of the fight between Path's parents and the valley, and they keep on climbing up that tree!"

Ducky did not realize that she had been raising her voice until she saw the look on Mender's face. "Um… sorry. Parenthood can be stressful, yep, yep, yep. I wonder how Mama handled all of us."

"Well, it helped that our siblings did not have a death wish."

 _No, just you two,_ Mender mentally replied as Spike walked up to the conversing pair, _It probably helped that your mother didn't need to worry about predators all that much in the valley. Seriously, why don't small sharpteeth ever try to sneak in there? If nothing else you get something to brag about._

Spike smiled as he stopped in front of the two other fastbiters. "Seeker wanted me to tell both of you that Cynnil had an idea about the Rot Plants you needed. She was saying that the Purple Sap Flower might be just as effective. Whatever that is..."

"Oh, you have those here?" Mender stepped in front of Spike with excitement. "We didn't see any along the way."

Spike blinked. "Um… yeah. The entire back hill is full of them. Path has been sarcastically calling it Violet Hill."

Mender rolled her eyes. "This is exactly what we could have used for the Pack of the Boulders. The entire pack had the itchy itch, and we had to fix them up using fireweeds."

Spike looked at both fastbiters in confusion. "Itchy itch?"

"Its, um... uh..." Mender completely lost track of what she was trying to say, too embarrassed to focus. As she'd done many times in the past she turned to Ducky for help.

"Somebody put their 'special parts' on someone they should not have been, nope, nope, nope! Are they still sharing mates in that pack?" Ducky prompted, looking more than a little peeved, "We had to drag Stern Claw away from clawing them when they 'politely' offered us their hospitality when we went through their territory one day."

Spike took a step back from this conversation. "I still don't get how they know whose kid is whose."

"Well, they don't… that helps with the whole 'baby-eating' instinct thing," Mender sputtered, "It's still weird, though. If they're going to keep doing that then they need to make sure it isn't with anyone with problems."

Spike continued to avert his eyes as Mender spoke. He could not fault the other pack for their 'inventive' solution to a problem that his pack had addressed in a less messy way, but the entire thing left a bad taste in his mouth. Though, as a fellow male, he had to ask a more pressing question.

"Umm… fireweeds… did you actually use those on the pack?"

Mender simply nodded.

Spike eyed went wide as he shook his head. "I take it that they didn't offer you any of their customary hospitality?"

Ducky groaned. "Brother!"

"Excuse me?" Mender growled, glaring at Spike. She forced herself to calm down. "Most of them weren't that stupid. I set the one that was that stupid straight."

Spike smiled. "I am sure Stern Claw would love to hear that story."

"Hear what?"

Cera, Taunt, and Leap arrived on the scene, with their kids now firmly planted on their backs. It appeared that playtime was over.

"Nothing," Mender replied a bit too quickly. There was no way she was telling _that_ story while Taunt could hear.

Cera looked up, and catching the 'I will tell you later' look, quickly changed the subject, "I think it is time that the children take a little nap…"

A chorus of protests erupted from the little mouths, but Cera would have none of it.

"...and meanwhile all of us adults can catch up on what good ol' Mender and Cynnil have been up to since we last saw them."

"I guess we'll be seeing Taunt later then?" Mender asked, smirking at the fastbiter in question.

Taunt rolled his eyes. "I could take a nap during the catch up, but I think that my mate would bite me."

"Who says that I won't anyway?" Cera retorted.

Taunt smiled cheekily. "True. But I don't want to make it too easy on you…"

 _Well, those two haven't changed a bit,_ Mender thought, suppressing a chuckle.

"But, Mom… can we at least have a song before our nap?"

Ambush's protest started up all of the others as their demands of 'song, song, song…' echoed like a song in itself. Within a few moments Cera helplessly looked at the others present.

"Hey, we could sing about when you first joined the pack, Mender," Taunt suggested, though with a bit of a tease, "You had a bad sleep story…"

Mender surprised him by teasing back, "...and Path nearly caught you…"

Taunt reared back in mock offense. "I will let you know, oh Great Mendsy, that I ran off just to protect the poor two-footer's reputation."

As if on cue a roar emanated in the distance which made Taunt jump into the air out of surprise. This earned laughter from the children present, as Cera quickly pretended like she had not signalled for the purple tyrannosaurus to do just that.

Mender tried and failed to hold back a laugh. "Okay, okay. If everyone will stay quiet, I'll sing the song." She turned to look at Taunt. "Oh, and Taunt?"

As Taunt kept pace with the group he gave Mender a playful smile.

"Don't call me Mendsy."

* * *

 **The past**

"She's still sleeping in?"

Cera gave Taunt an obscene gesture as she shifted to an upright position. For his part, Taunt rolled his eyes and gestured towards Violet's snoozing form.

"Not you, dear… the Mender of Feathers over there."

A light smack to the back of his head surprised him. "You do realize that she would call you far worse if she heard you calling her that, right?"

Taunt rubbed his head in mock pain as he looked at Ruby's satisfied face. "I am sure that you will fill her in."

All three fastbiters turned their attention to the sleeping fastbiter again as they considered their recent catch. The elderly longneck had served as an easy meal and, as was their custom, they had consumed him hungrily until they had fallen into a slumber in the warm spring sun. Now, however, Violet was the last to rise, an oddity for the fastbiter.

"She would probably attack me if I woke her, right?" Taunt asked tentatively.

"Absolutely."

"Certainly."

"Go do it!"

Taunt groaned as his mate offered the last word on the subject. Of course she would find the idea of the pack's newest member smacking her mate as a welcome diversion. However, he was not without some iota of sense. Grabbing a stick from nearby he prepared to rouse Violet from a safer distance.

"Halt, Taunt!" Littlefoot hissed, "Take a look at her legs."

Taunt stared at the young fastbiter's legs with momentary confusion. Within moments, however, he could see what had caught his attention. Tensing and clawing at the ground… If she were upright then she would be in motion right now.

"A strong sleep story?" Taunt muttered, "What is your point, sir?" For once the 'sir' was not playful mocking, but rather an honest question.

"My mother always told me not to wake someone when they are in a walking sleep story. Oh, no, no, no!" Ducky noted.

"Even though she is not walking that does not mean that in her sleep story she is not walking," Ruby noted, "We are in no hurry, maybe we should let her sleep?"

"There is plenty left to go around," a low growl came from nearby where the gore-covered tyrannosaurus spoke, but upon seeing the expressions of the others Chomper continued, "I promise that I won't eat it all!"

Littlefoot rolled his eyes as he smirked. "I will hold you to that promise. Alright, everyone, let's let Mender enjoy her nap. I am sure that we can save her some of the torso."

Despite Littlefoot's calm words, however, he was left with a lingering thought.

 _What is on your mind, Mender?_

* * *

 _Violet ran as fast as she could. She had to get away._

 _She risked a look behind her. That proved to be a costly mistake. She didn't see the turn until it was too late. Her attempt to land safely on the slope failed miserably._

 ** _Come on. Come on._** _She scrambled for purchase but found none. The last thing she saw was the river._

* * *

Violet woke up in a panic, jumping up into a defensive position instinctively. It took her longer than she wanted to admit to realize she wasn't in danger and that she wasn't alone. _Great, everyone saw that,_ she thought, embarrassed by the fact she had an audience.

Despite the fact that everyone had seen the reaction, with Spike noticeably edging away in case she struck out in a panic, only one person spoke.

"Yeah… I hate those running sleep stories too. Never mind how fast you run death always seems to catch you."

"I kind of ran into it this time," Violet replied shyly. She earnestly wanted to just disappear.

"I used to have those sleep stories all of the time when I was a leaf-eater," Spike noted as he took another bite out of the longneck, "though it was usually sharpteeth that were after me."

"Now it is pissed off longnecks," Littlefoot noted with some trepidation as he thought back to his own dreams. Seeing Taunt's amused face, he reacted in a mix of defensiveness and veiled amusement, "Hey, once you have been chased by your old kind it stays with you!"

"Charging threehorns aren't fun either," Cera noted as she took a playful swipe at her mate's tail. She resisted the urge to ask Violet if she was okay, figuring that it would be better for Violet's pride to simply downplay the situation.

Violet resisted the urge to nod in agreement to Cera's statement. She'd had plenty of those experiences. She'd deliberately caused the last one to keep the herd away from Tracker when she was hurt and still had bad sleep stories about it from time to time. She glanced around for a way to just walk away and hope everyone would forget about her for a while.

"Here, Mender," Ducky's voice called out from some distance away, "There is still some of the torso left if you want it. We made sure that Path saved you some."

A sighed growl came from the purple sharptooth. "It is like you people think I would eat it all if I had my way."

"You would!" came the response from nearly every member of the pack as Violet took the opportunity to edge towards Ducky's location.

"Next time I oversleep, just kick me," Violet told her friend once she reached Ducky, "That was really embarrassing."

Ducky gave a slight shrug, showing that it wasn't terribly serious. "We all have bad sleep stories from time to time. The important thing is to remember that those sleep stories can't hurt us. As Taunt said, we all have those 'running sleep stories'."

"I still can't believe I did that; I overreacted again."

"You didn't overreact, Mender." Ducky put a hand on her shoulder as she glanced back at the others who were now in a playful banter battle with Chomper. "You just woke up in a panic because you had a bad sleep story. Besides, on the plus side you did confirm something about Taunt."

"What?"

Ducky chuckled slightly. "He thought about waking you before we stopped him, but he was going to use a stick to do so. So he certainly respects your claws more than he respects his reflexes!"

"I wish I could stop waking up like that." _I still can't seem to at least stop tensing up. I didn't have this problem when my brother was around._

"Is it the same sleep story?" Ducky asked, "Or is it something new each night?"

"Sometimes it's the same, but this one was a bit different. I don't remember anything happening exactly like this sleep story," Violet replied, "I'm not even sure what I was running from this time."

Ducky nodded for a few moments as she considered Violet's words. "So did whatever you were running from catch you, or did something else happen?"

"I, um, went over a cliff," Violet said, sounding as embarrassed as if she had just done that for real. _Well, the one time I do remember going over a cliff like that was far less wet._

"Like what happened before?" Ducky immediately regretted her bluntness, so she clarified, "Um… I mean when you bumped your head."

"It was sort of like that, but I ended up in a river this time."

"Is that when you woke up?" Ducky asked with sudden interest that surprised Violet, "And do you remember which river? Was it one that you had been to before?"

"Yes, that's when I woke up, but I have no clue what river. I try to stay away from them when I can. It seemed a bit like the one Prowler and I were close to when Staza got her first kill." Violet was not about to refer to the event as the time her brother and his future mate got separated from the pack and more importantly left her alone with Prowler.

Ducky was silent for several moments as she thought to herself and noted Violet's scent. It was obvious that she was hiding something, but Ducky kept that realization to herself.

"Maybe it is because I used to be a swimmer, but we put great importance into knowing our waters. Sometimes it is in sleep stories that we remember things that we need to remember, and forget things that we need to forget," she said cryptically, but with a slight hint of leaving something unsaid, "Is there anything else that you would like to tell me? If not then I understand."

"I...well, did I ever tell you about when Staza got her first kill?" Violet asked.

Ducky shook her head. "No, you have not."

"Well, we ran into trouble a while back. Another pack was outright hunting us and cut Tracker, I mean Staza, off from us." Violet shivered at the memory. "While trying to get away she fell into the river."

Ducky's face communicated obvious concern, but she nodded for Violet to continue.

"My brother jumped in afterwards to help her. The river swept them away." Violet had a feeling she may have told Ducky at least part of this, but like much she said there were many things left out of the first telling.

"What happened to them I already told Ponder. Apparently it's not a funny story to her. Staza finds it funny now, but I know it wasn't much fun at the time. They spent all day hunting a swimmer just to have a two-footer take it away after they killed it."

Ducky sighed. "Sometimes the bigger sharptooth gets the meal. But at least you all lived to tell the tale."

"Prowler and I weren't there," Violet corrected her friend, "We were trying to follow the river and hoped we'd find them alive."

Ducky nodded. "Of course, I meant in general. If they had both died then how do you think you two would have fared?" She tried not to make it sound like she was downplaying Violet's abilities, but being left with only one companion in the Mysterious Beyond would have been certain death for Violet and Prowler.

"Assuming we didn't starve to death, and that's a pretty big assumption, we probably would either have died by another pack's claws or been forcibly added to another pack long before now." _And that would have been the end of me_ , she mentally added. "I'm not sure which of those would have been worse."

Ducky did not answer her unspoken question, as she did not want to dwell on either possibility. "So… um… we have all heard about Prowler's leadership style… um... How did things go?" She was unsure how to ask the question with any delicacy, but she suspected the missing piece of the puzzle might rest with him.

"Better than expected, actually," Violet said. She still wasn't sure what to think after Thud pointed out that Prowler had no problem killing her. "I kept my head down and my mouth shut most of the time. It was still pretty tense."

"I can only imagine," Ducky noted as she took another bite of the longneck. The two ate in companionable silence for several moments before Ducky thought of something more to say, "So… you seem to remember quite a bit from that time. Have any new memories popped up? Did you ever fall into a river based upon what Verant has told you?"

"I don't think so, at least not at that time. There was an instance where I ended up in a river, but that was deliberate. Well, sorta. I got pushed in before my brother jumped in behind me. It involved threehorns. Not a fun day."

"Ah… I think I remember you mentioning that," Ducky noted, "But maybe we are looking at it the wrong way. If Verant had been the one to push you then perhaps it is about him in some way?"

"Maybe. I hope not. The fall that woke me up would have killed me. It was really high up, and I was alone." _And my brother wouldn't have made a mistake that stupid._

"Some sleep stories are not literal," Ducky noted as she stripped the last bit of flesh from one of the longneck's vertebrae, "You may have been running from something unseen. Remember when my friends and I had our sleep stories when we were changing? We saw ourselves as corpses, but it was not literal. Oh, no, no, no."

Violet just looked at her friend, confused. "If it doesn't mean what I see, then what does it mean?"

Ducky thought for a moment. "Maybe you were running from something unseen because it is something that you did not want to face? Is there anything that you left unresolved? Anything that involves Verant, a river, or um.. running?" Ducky contorted her face. "Or who knows, maybe it was just a sleep story."

Violet couldn't think of anything that she'd left unresolved with her brother other than a wish that she'd behaved better. There were also plenty of things that she hated to talk about even with Ducky, but she really didn't want to admit that. Her friend would probably make her tell her everything out of concern. "I can't think of anything like that, unless you count not wanting to get chased again," she finally said.

Ducky smiled slightly. "Alright, just remember that I am here if you ever want to talk about it."

"I did not eat that entire threehorn! I shared some of it with all of you!"

"But I didn't get any!"

"That's because you were elsewhere, Taunt, and too slow to catch up with all of us!"

"Why you purple-assed sap-chaser…"

Ducky sighed as she whispered to Violet, "Did Taunt and Stern Claw make a bet about how long it would take him to piss Path off again?"

"I don't know. Does Taunt really need an excuse to do that, though?"

Ducky rolled her eyes. "No, but it helps. He still remembers that it was Path's parents who chased him back when…"

Just then Chomper faked a charge towards Taunt, which caused him to sprint into the nearby bushes. Before he disappeared completely, however, his voice could be heard as Cera sighed.

"You owe me 10 ground fuzzies, dear!"

"He's trying to die young, isn't he?" Violet said with a shake of her head. _He_ definitely _wouldn't have survived a single day around Prowler. Or maybe the other way around? Either way it would have been fun to watch._

Littlefoot walked up to Chomper with a wry expression. "How much did he offer you to chase him early?"

Cera sputtered, "What!"

Chomper took on a toothy grin. "Five ground fuzzies, but to be honest I did it just to see Stern Claw's face!"

Cera glared at them both. "You just wait, Path! You can't get any ground fuzzies from a dead fastbiter!" She disappeared within an instant in the same direction that Taunt had fled.

"Haven?" Violet asked, "do they ever not do that?" She gestured towards where Cera and Taunt had disappeared.

"That is how they flirt, it is, it is." Ducky shook her head as she stared at the rest of the longneck. "But their loss is our gain. Gang, should we eat what is left before they get back?"

Spike snorted. "I am sure they will be occupied for a while!"

Littlefoot rolled his eyes. "Well, hopefully they are done before we all try to sleep!" He then coughed awkwardly when he realized he said that loud enough for Violet to hear. "Anyway, I don't see why not. Let's dig in, everyone!"

* * *

"A thundering fall? This wasn't here before…. sigh... Absolutely fucking wonderful."

"What was here?" Dodger asked. _What is with these guys and swearing? Waste of time and energy. Especially time that can be critical when speaking._

"A river," Leap said as he examined the scene, his shift in position to Thud's side momentarily reminding Dodger of the current chain of command, "But it seems that we have a lot of flooding."

Thud shook his head. "Yeah… the drowned swimmers that we saw a few days ago was a hint of what was to come. How long did the rain fall over here?"

Swift shifted uneasily, as her position in the pack was somewhat uncertain with the two new arrivals. "What are we to do?"

Thud sighed. "Well, to quote my son's lovely pep-talk to Haven, 'If fastbiters were meant to swim like fish then we would have fucking gills'. I don't know, Swift, but we can't go over the cliff and swim down to the falls, now can we?"

Dodger looked over the cliff. He could see a potential way down, but it was quite difficult and any mistakes could easily prove fatal. If it were just Tracker and himself he would consider it doable, but he had no clue how good his new packmates were at climbing.

Leap shifted uneasily as he stared at the slick rocks. "Um, sir?" he addressed Thud, "Verant? Perhaps we should get away from the edge of the cliff?"

Thud did not immediately speak, but began to walk backwards, only noticing the slickness when he nearly fell on his rear. This caused Leap to edge closer to Thud to assist, but the elder waved him off. He was away from the danger at the moment.

Dodger started to back away from the edge carefully. _Okay, careful. Careful._ He noticed that the ground was problematically shifty in this particular spot. _Too muddy. Might collapse or get swept off by water._ He took another step, falling down where it turned out there was water rather than ground. _Or it might fail right now._ He quickly slammed his front claws into the ground. _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

Leap sprung into action as he leapt towards Dodger's struggling form. "Hang on, Verant!"

Tracker tried to rush forward despite everything she knew telling her to stay put only to be literally tackled by Swift. "No, Staza!" The other fastbiter held her fast while the two males tried to help Dodger.

Leap held onto Dodger's arm while Thud put all of his weight on Leap's legs to keep him secure, "Push with your back legs, Verant! Push yourself towards me!"

 _I know what to do, sir,_ Dodger mentally retorted. He'd gotten himself out of similar situations, though with far more effort, without help before. He did as instructed, though.

"Good!" Leap encouraged as he could see Dodger move forwards despite slipping several times due to the slick mud, "Now climb over me!"

Rather than bother arguing Dodger did as he was told. _This probably isn't the best idea…_ He moved as carefully as he could so as not to hurt or endanger his packmate.

Leap grunted as the other fastbiter quickly used Leap's arms and legs as grips in his desperate attempt to escape the slick rocks and mud. Within moments, however, he could hear a muffled growl as Dodger regained his footing somewhere behind him.

"Do you have his other leg?" Leap could hear Thud ask Dodger, as the leader's eyes were now half-blinded by the torrent of mud that Dodger had sent his way in his scramble away from the cliff edge.

"Got 'im," Dodger replied, gripping Leap's leg. _Come on. We're almost out of here._

Without wasting any time, Leap pushed back with his arms while the others pulled him back towards safety. For several moments they made slow but steady progress away from the slippery and treacherous rock. That was when he heard it.

 **Creak…**

"Shit! It's going!" Leap exclaimed as he redoubled his efforts to push himself back, "Both of you get back to safety!"

Dodger just redoubled his efforts, not knowing or caring whether Thud was retreating. "Not a chance, Leap."

Leap did not bother to argue with the other fastbiter as he felt both fastbiters retain their grip on his legs. But that was when the inevitable happened.

 **Crack!**

With a sudden lurch, the greater half of the rock gave way, sending the strickened fastbiter into a perilous position above the raging waters below. Leap could not see what was happening behind him. He could not see his sister's petrified expression. He could not see Thud being knocked back towards his other packmates in the chaotic collapse. Nor could he see Dodger's resolute face. The only thing that he could feel was his grip on his legs, and the fact that they both were edging towards the abyss.

 _This just isn't my day._ "Try to get upright. We might have to jump," Dodger told Leap. He had no intention of leaving his packmate, someone who he was starting to consider his friend. _We're both going backwards or we're both going down._

As Leap stared at the raging waves below, he was reminded of Taunt's tale of when he had barely survived floating down a river, and the sacrifice that had made that possible. He knew in that moment that there was no way he could get back on the rocks in his current position, and there was no way for Dodger to pull him back. Either he was going down alone, or Dodger was going with him.

It was only now that he heard the groggy voice of a recovering Thud scream from somewhere behind Dodger, "Leap? Leap!"

"Take care of the pack while I'm gone."

"You're not going anywhere," Dodger replied stubbornly, redoubling his efforts to pull Leap back up, regardless of how useless the effort was proving.

Leap growled as he stared at Dodger. "I can swim if need be, but the rock is giving way! You need to go back up while we still have a-"

 **Crack!**

In a moment that seemed to stretched into infinity the entire world seemed to spin end on end. Where at one moment Dodger's face stared at him with concern, now flew a confusing cascade of claws, tails, rocks, and water. It was only when the confusing tangle of images spun for a third time that Leap realized what had happened.

That was when the raging waters took them both.

* * *

"Well, she seems to be holding up well."

Ruby listened to her mate as she considered how the pack's newest member was handling things. Though she generally agreed with his assessment, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was still something that she was missing.

"I think that she is still embarrassed about the bad sleep story. She wants to look strong, but she can't look strong if she does not feel strong."

Littlefoot nodded. "Strength and confidence come with time, she is doing much better than she was."

His mate nodded. "Most certainly yes, but she may not see that."

Littlefoot grew silent for a moment as he studied the Night Circle, deep in thought. He figured that this was not something that he could rush. He still remembered how long it took Leap and Swift to catch their wits about them.

"I wonder if we should send Spotter out for a message run."

Ruby stared at her mate for a moment. Though the idea sounded promising, it had been merely a few days since their departure. To send the flyer out as such short notice might be misconstrued as showing little confidence in their allies.

"Let's hold off for a few days, dear. I am sure that they are doing just fine," she yawned as she playfully slapped at her mate's tail, "Besides, I am sure we will soon have an excuse to send him out."

Littlefoot cooed playfully as he joined in their little game of attack the tail. "And why is that, dear?"

Ruby smiled. "They would think it nothing out of the ordinary if Mender wanted a check up on her friends."

Littlefoot smiled back. "True… perhaps we should turn to other things then. I am sure that our allies are fine."

* * *

"Not again…" Thud stared at the treacherous cliff that had claimed one of his packmates. It was reminiscent of how he had barely cheated death when he had been attacked by one of Redclaw's 'replacements' of him, but Thud had been far stronger than Leap in those days, and Dodger had gone head over heels into the surf.

 _Please still be alive, my friends… Swim to the shore… Swim like your lives depend on it._

Tracker was much less sedate; with all of the speed that her body could manage she lunged towards the cliff in an attempt to go after her mate and companion. It was only through instinct that Thud was able to throw himself in her path.

"Staza, stop!"

Tracker slid to a stop, not so much to obey her pack leader's order than to avoid running into him. It was then that she heard the mournful roar of Swift, and the reality of the situation hit her like a falling rock. Now her instincts were being overtaken by the cold realization of what they had lost. What _she_ had lost.

"We can help them but we can't do that if we drown!" Thud barked, trying desperately to keep his own emotions in check. "My son and Breeze survived something like this, and I am sure Verant and Leap will as well."

"But they need our help," Thud finished, wiping some mud from his eyes, "We know where the river goes, so we need to track where they might end up."

"Then let's go," Tracker replied, immediately turning to go back the way her pack had originally come.

The remnants of the pack needed no prompting as Thud tried to keep up with both of the females, their speed being enhanced by the possible loss of those whom they held most dear. He could only hope that the Bright Circle, obscured by clouds, had not forsaken them all.

They needed all the help they could get.

* * *

 **The present:**

Mender prepared to heighten her voice once more for the conclusion of the song, when another sound caught her attention. Giving a quick look at the dinosaurs around her, she then quickly truncated her song in more hushed tones.

After all, when children were asleep it was best to let them be.

"How about we talk over there while the little ones sleep?" Ducky noted as she eased away from the slumbering children. Only Pouncer was absent, but if Stern Claw was not concerned then Ducky was not going to bring it up.

Mender, however, had other ideas. "Has anyone seen where Pouncer went?" Mender whispered as she followed Ducky.

Cera shrugged. "Last time I checked Nahoda was showing him how to make a scape." She suppressed a chuckle. "I think that he spooked the fastrunner when he slipped off the tree."

Taunt snorted. "Showing him how to make a scrape? I think most of our ankle-biters already know how to do that. Are you sure that our son isn't simply studying his prey?"

Cera rolled her eyes. "I think that Pouncer knows that he is not for dinner, dear."

Taunt shrugged. "Doesn't mean that he might not be practicing…"

"He better not be trying to scare Nahoda. That's my job," Mender said, her tone light, but her body language suggested that she had no problem intervening if she had to.

Taunt smirked. "Oh now this is quite the change… It sounds like you are treating Nahoda like I treat my mate. You know what that means…"

"My mate is quite fine, thank you."

Taunt turned around as Arial waltzed over to where the dinosaurs were walking, a pile of sticks in her hands. "Any idea as to why my mate needs these?"

Littlefoot tiled his head as his tail curved in the slightest hint of a smile, "Where has Nahoda decided to make your scrape?"

Arial put the sticks down for a moment, which allowed her to stretch. "Over by the tree that overlooks the bend in the stream.

 _So what are the sticks for?_ Mender wondered, _It's not like Nahoda uses sticks for anything._

Littlefoot smiled as he looked at his mate knowingly. Ruby was now also smirking with her tail.

Now Spike was curious. "What is it? Trying to make the nest already?"

Buse spoke before Cynnil could stop him, "Starting quick aren't you two…"

Arial groaned as she again picked up her sticks and proceeded to head in the direction of the scrape. "Hard to believe you are single with a beak like that, Buse."

Taunt let out a chuckle at this. He appreciated a good burn when he heard one.

"I think that Nahoda is thinking ahead about the scrape, but not for a nest… Because fastrunners don't use sticks for a nest," Ruby noted.

"Noise-makers then," Littlefoot finished her thought, ""Make sure that you hear a threat coming from the weakest side to defend."

"Somehow I don't think they're going to help with how small all the kids here are," Mender commented, "Hopefully they won't see it as a challenge." _Nahoda's going to lose his mind if the kids get too interested in him._

"Think we should check in on the two guests?" Spike questioned.

As if in response Spike's mate playfully put a stick in his mouth, earning her an annoyed glare. It was only then that he noticed that she had already grabbed several sticks, apparently already having decided to render some help to their new guests.

"Well I would never challenge Breeze's enthusiasm," Littlefoot was openly laughing now, "Let's all grab a few sticks and see what they are up to."

"Well one of us should stay with the kids," Leap noted as he watched them from afar. "You never know when they might wake up and decide to go on one of their adventures."

"I think we can do that, dear," Ducky affirmed as she looked for someone to take the sticks that she had collected before Cynnil accepted them.

"They'd run off just because you're not watching them?" Mender asked, surprised. Most of the kids she'd met as a healer at least need something to wander towards if they woke up in the middle of the night to get them to leave their nests..

"It is more that they would track us by scent and try to sneak up on us," Leap noted as he sat down, watching the little fuzzballs. "Nothing like taking a drink at night only to be 'hunted' by five little younglings."

"Or have them interrupt 'special time' and ask why me and Stern Claw are sparring," Taunt added, dodging a swipe from his mate.

"Did they ask why Stern Claw was winning?" Breeze mocked, causing Spike to erupt in laughter. It was a good thing they were now some distance from the kids.

"Breeze, really?" Mender asked with a groan of frustration.

Littlefoot coughed in order to break into the exchange of barbs. "Perhaps we can talk about something other than mating while we help out our fastrunner friends?"

"Killjoy," Taunt muttered.

"That is Pack Leader Killjoy to you," Littlefoot teased, "But I was thinking that we could talk about the situation in the Mysterious Beyond. After, Mender, Buse, and Cynnil… all of you have been to some distant lands that we have not. Like the Three Mountains Lake and the Gorge of Many Bones. Maybe you can tell us a bit about those, now that there are no kids around to get any ideas about going there…"

Cynnil nodded. "Three Mountains Lake was a most interesting place. A lake so deep that no swimmer could reach its bottom," she snickered, "We found some rather interesting guests there, didn't we, Mender?"

"Don't remind me," Mender groaned.

"Guests?" Buse prompted. This had been before his time in the pack.

"Yes, now I am curious," Ruby noted. "What kind of guests were guests there?"

"Do the names Chronos and Logos sound familiar to you?" Mender asked, already knowing the answer.

The entire pack turned around at this, with several voices calling out at once.

"They were there?"

"What the…"

"That is eight days away from the valley!"

"They wouldn't leave me alone," Mender complained, "Are you guys absolutely sure none of you told them I was smell-blind? They were asking me about that before the Bright Circle set the day I met them."

Littlefoot walked over to Mender and gave her a reassuring nudge. "We kept our promise about that, Mender, and did not tell the valley… maybe they figured it out?"

"They are very observant and like puzzles," Ruby noted.

"And to them everything is a puzzle," Cera muttered, "Remember the questions they sent us after they found we were parents? If a flyer ever asks about that stuff again, I don't care if it is a valley flyer, I will eat its face."

"Is that even edible?" Mender asked, pretty sure Cera would actually do exactly what she threatened.

"So don't worry, Mender," Taunt added, "The rainbowfaces are just like that with everyone."

"Taunt, I don't know how it's possible, but I think they had even less tact than you when you're trying to insult," Mender said, "Some of the questions they asked..."

Breeze sighed. "It is how they are. They would probably think nothing of it if you asked them similar questions. They just want to _know_."

Littlefoot nodded. "It that is part of the reason we knew so much about healing, and then were able to teach you... " He suddenly had an idea. "Did they mention anything new? We try to talk to them through flyers, but you know how they can be..."

"One time flyer land with message, but then cut off by another flyer who landed and corrected old message. For smart dinosaurs they sometimes act really dense."

This was the first word from Petrie in some time as he flew over their heads a few body-lengths off of the ground. He had a somewhat distracted tone to his voice.

"Dense doesn't even begin to describe one of them. Who asks a girl who _obviously_ doesn't have a mate how smell-blindness affects her mating habits?" Mender's tone made it clear that was a _very_ sore subject for her.

Taunt coughed, giving her an apologetic nod. "You didn't kill them, did you? They are kind of important."

"Um, Chronos almost lost his head, but..." Mender couldn't help but fall back into old habits for a moment, bowing apologetically.

"We kind of figured that, Mender, as we talked to them a few days ago through a flyer, and you eating one of them probably would have been mentioned," Littlefoot teased weakly, "But if you don't mind me asking, how did that go… after you didn't kill him, I mean?"

"Um, they taught me about, um..." Mender cringed, her tail moving down in embarrassment.

"The love plants, as they called them," Cynnil helped out her friend, "Some of the swimmers lost their entire clutch so they were seeing if they could induce a second Time of Mating for them."

"Ah, I remember hearing about that from one of the flyers…" Spike noted, "It helped out some of my cousins."

"Well, at least it helped someone," Mender muttered, "I was mortified. Asks me about mating then starts teaching me about that..."

"So all we have to do to learn new stuff from Chronos is to threaten to kill him? Check."

Cera glared at Taunt. "Really, dear?"

"Did he tell you why he wanted to know that stuff?" Breeze asked before the couple could continue their antics. The tree that Nahoda and Arial were working around was just beginning to come into view.

"Know what?" Mender asked in reply, confused.

"The stuff he asked you?" Cera asked.

"No, and I can't imagine why he'd want to know that," Mender replied. _Can we please stop talking about this?_ "Why'd Nahoda decide to make the scrape over here?" She didn't bother to disguise her attempt to change the subject.

"Look, Mommy!"

In a blur of movement Pouncer jumped on Ruby's back, before then hopping on Taunt's, and then landing on Cera's back like a skipping stone skipping through water.

"I showed Nahoda how to make traps!"

Mender glanced concernedly at Pouncer. What a child's imagination could come up with for traps was best not considered.

"Get me down from here!"

Pouncer jumped up and down with excitement as Orchid dangled from the tree with an annoyed expression, his leg being caught by a vine. Despite his predicament, however, he crossed his arms in annoyance, as if to deny the trap-builder any satisfaction.

"See, Mommy! It works just like you showed us!"

Cera could only put a hand to her snout in a mixture of exasperation and amusement, while Taunt tried his hardest to avoid laughing out loud.

"I'll get him down," Mender said, moving to where she could see the vine holding Orchid's leg was close to the ground. Once she was right by her packmate she started examining the vine, trying to figure out the best way to get Orchid down. Unfortunately for Orchid, Mender's idea of the best way was the fastest way.

 **Thud!**

"Urgh… damn it, Mender…"

Mender instinctively glared at Orchid. She didn't tolerate swearing around children, even if the father of the child present was the one that had indirectly taught her most of the more vulgar parts of her vocabulary. "Language," she hissed as she hauled her friend to his feet.

"Um… yeah…" Orchid rubbed his head, "It all seems to work, Nahoda."

"And you want us to have these traps close to where our kids will be one day?" Arial asked as she tested one of the vine snares with a stick, "This could strangle someone!"

"Only if they were really tiny," Nahoda noted.

"...like hatchlings," Arial added before leaning against the tree, "Dear, I appreciate all of this, and I know you and Pouncer have been working on it… but maybe just the noisemakers?"

"You do realize there's not much that's going to want to get this close to your neighbors, right?" Mender asked Nahoda, gesturing at the other assembled fastbiters, "Trust me, they don't take kindly to uninvited visitors."

Nahoda sighed. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. But it would be nice to keep these in mind for later… trust me, I know what it is like to be sneaked up on." He then gave Mender a sardonic look, but there was more humor there than anything else.

"Pouncer, I am glad that you are helping Nahoda. But remember what we told you about using traps like that…"

"Yes, Mom…"

Mender looked from mother to child and back a few times, surprised that Cera's reaction was almost no reaction at all.

"Though you did a good job with these," Taunt noted as he tapped another vine with his snout, "Though I have never seen one of these…"

And as if on cue the vine tightened. Taunt's subsequent struggle only made the vine grip tighter as his snout was firmly planted on the ground.

"Now isn't that a beautiful sound?" Spike took a deep breath as if to punctuate his point as Taunt made an obscene gesture with his sickle claw. "The sound of blissful silence…"

"You want to help him or should I?" Mender asked Stern Claw, not entirely sure whether or not to help Taunt while his mate was present if not closer.

"Nmmph…" Taunt's muffled grunt came through before he quickly clawed through his vine, "Never mind, I got it."

"You know, pack, I think that was the only time I have seen Taunt at a loss for words…"

Laughter erupted from the others, as Taunt looked at his pack leader with an annoyed expression. Finally, however, he joined in the laughter as well as he allowed his son to jump on his back once more.

 _It's almost like I never left,_ Mender thought with a laugh, _Well, except for Taunt corrupting a new generation._

 **"Seeker!"**

Everyone jumped up at the gasped scream as Petrie landed on the ground with a thud. The fact that he was out of breath caught everyone's attention immediately. Littlefoot wasted no time in emitting an alert call and running up to his flyer friend.

"What's wrong, Spotter?"

It took Petrie a moment to catch his wits about him. "Mate and kids come back from Verant's… gasp… they say other flyers come soon… hurt…"

"What? What happened?" Mender demanded, immediately sounding panicked.

Petrie turned towards the violet fastbiter. "Wrok attacked the pack. Most hidden runners dead, but Verant have some survivors…" He took a breath as he shook his head. "Gyors was hit."

Mender opened her mouth to demand more details, but no sound came out.

"Soar say that flyers taking him and Ugnu here now. We need healers."

Hearing what sounded at least two kids being hurt and no other details, Mender practically collapsed, gripping her head.

"We will help!" Buse shouted, as Cynnil charged forward as well. Cera and Breeze needed no further prompting as well as they ran to where the healing plants were commonly found. Mender, meanwhile, appeared to be shutting down. This did not escape Taunt's notice.

"Mender?"

There was no answer.

"Mender!"

Mender extremely reluctantly looked up, barely acknowledging that she'd heard Taunt speak. She felt as though she'd had her heart ripped out. _They're gone. They're gone. There's no way they'd split up like that._

Taunt looked in the direction that the rest of Mender's pack had sprinted. They undoubtedly were focused on the emergency and did not notice Mender's collapse. It was up to him.

"Hey, I know things are bad right now. But your brother is alive, and he needs us to help keep these two alive. And I know of no one better at that than you."

The sound of running feet reached their ears as a familiar fastrunner made himself known.

"You helped my sister and I have no doubt that you can help your niece and nephew too," Orchid's voice interrupted.

Mender took a deep breath, trying to ignore the bitter taste of adrenaline in her throat. She understood their words and knew their reasonableness, but her mind was anything but reasonable at this moment. With her heart racing and mind in a fog it was like her mind was floating apart from the rest of her body.

"We will do what we can, Mender, it's al-"

"I'm... I'm fine," Mender said, forcing herself to stand up. _If Staza could keep going for years like she wasn't hurting just so I wouldn't be scared, I can make sure her kids are alright. Focus now. Panic and cry later._

Taunt leaned against her as if to support her, but she waved him off. Now it was time to get to work. Now it was time to save what was most precious.

She sprinted like there was no tomorrow.

* * *

 ** _"And here we can see the threehorns going through their usual training regime. Beginning at the age of speech, both male and female threehorns begin to train in the art of battle. In a way this may be surprising for a patriarchal dominance hierarchy…"_**

"Freeze."

Chronos tapped on the Archiver Stone twice in order to add his comments.

"This is not a bad effort for the beginnings of a narrative-style report, Datum, but you need to watch out for redundancies in your commentary. Instead of 'In a way this may be surprising' you should probably say, 'This might be unexpected' and then continue with your report. Overall, however, this is a good start."

Chronos leaned back against a rock. "Continue."

"Freeze."

Chronos sighed. "What is it, dear?"

Logos tapped on the rock twice. "Ignore your father, dear. You should remove the entire last sentence. This is meant to be an informational report, not an analysis. If this had been an analysis then it would have been a good addition."

She clicked on the stone twice, giving her mate a cheeky grin.

Chronos could only close his eyes and sigh in exasperation. "Continue."

 ** _"Notice how the female keeps her head down as the male approaches cautiously. This is a carefully prepared feint in order to invite a charge from the over-eager male. She has noticed what may be overlooked by others, the over-exertion of his head. And as we have seen it has led to a satisfactory result."_**

 ** _"Who in the hell are you talking to, Datum?"_**

 ** _"Uh… no one!"_**

Chronos clicked the stone once as he smiled at the rock. "I seem to remember several of our reports ending like that."

Logos rolled her eyes. "Some? Do you realize how long it took me to convince most the valley that you talked to a rock because it was your imaginary friend?"

Chronos blinked. "So that's why people don't seem to notice anymore…"

The female rainbowface could only groan in response. In many ways her mate had not changed at all.

"Well the little ones have a few more reports that they prepared. Our daughter has prepared a lovely little report called 'The flyer creation myth: implications of the Bright Circle story' and Datum had another report on longneck herd dynamics. They seem to slowly be getting the hang of things."

"And they will be little scientists in no time," Logos smiled, "and unlike us they will not have any of the old ways of thinking to hold them back. It will be a report on this world from true creatures of this world, and not from well..."

"Star people?" Chronos finished.

Logos nodded. "Yes. They can see this world from a fresh perspective, and that is often what science needs to explore new ideas."

Chronos tapped the Archiver Stone again. "Such as… 'Teaching manners to threehorns: an exercise in futility'?"

Logos snorted. "Well, I didn't say the little ones didn't need some additional practice in determining what was a _good_ research topic."

"Well," Chronos teased, "the title is probably not entirely inaccurate."

Logos nudged him. "Neither is the report called 'Teaching an old mate new tricks: will Chronos ever learn tact?' but you never seen me send that report off."

"Directness and honesty are my best traits, I will have you know…" Chronos puffed out his chest in mock-offense.

"Your only traits," Logos retorted.

Chronos touched his chest in an offended manner. "You wound me, dear. I will have you know that my records show that I also have a unique ability to be insubordinate and to encourage insubordination in others who are prone to idealism."

Logos laughed. "I never said I was perfect…"

The two rainbowfaces tumbled around as they both decided to take their playful war of words into the realm of play fighting as well. Within a few moments Chronos had succeeded in getting his mate's mouth open and forcing a sweet bubble inside. It was a repeat of their kind's courtship ritual, but with the addition of several seasons of experience in pushing each other's buttons. In response Logos pushed Chronos away, only to force him down in a show of dominance.

"Doesn't count!" Chronos laughed, "I got you first!"

Logos laughed as well as she grabbed a sweet bubble and shoved it in his open beak. "What was that our son said about an over-eager male…"

"Um..." a rather embarrassed flyer stuttered, having just come in for a landing, "I can come back later..."

In an instant the two rainbowfaces were on their feet, preening their feathers like nothing was amiss. It was Chronos who spoke first.

"Uh… no… we are fine. I take it that the other flyers are ready?"

"They're waiting for you two," the flyer replied, "Should I tell them you're on your way?"

They both nodded as the flyer wasted no time in taking off.

"They're going to gossip about this, aren't they?"

"Of course."

* * *

"I knew I was going to see the rainbowfaces doing something, but that was..." the flyer shuddered.

Hano laughed heartily as he made an obscene gesture with his wings. "So you saw them do the old in-out, in-out, eh? Did you interrupt their 'critical research'?"

"Oh for the love of sanity, Hano, I don't think they look at that as research… do they?"

"I'm not about to ask," Fratus replied. He'd been traumatized enough for one day. "When do you think they're going to get here anyway?"

"Well probably when their 'research' is over!"

Hano and the flyers laughed at the lewd joke he had told at the rainbowfaces' expense. Due to their lack of discipline they did not notice the eyes of the rainbowfaces in question peek through the bushes. This made their surprise when Logos grabbed Hano's beak all the more extreme.

"Research has been momentarily suspended while we deal with some delinquent students."

Fratus and Veer both mock whistled at Logos's response as Hano's beak was finally released. He was much less cocky now, though he retained his smirk.

"Anyway," Chronos began, briefly looking over the three flyers, "I do believe it is time for the usual session. What 'is the word' in the Mysterious Beyond? I believe that is the lingo of the young flyers now, isn't it?"

Logos cut off her mate before he could embarrass himself further. "Let's start with you Hanno. Hear anything of interest in your travels to the Land of the Hidden Runners?"

"She means besides females, Hano," Fratus teased.

"Well crap, there goes half my report!"

Logos sighed inwardly. _Sometimes I think my old kind had the right idea. You don't mate until you are ready to die._

"Hano?" Chronos prompted.

"Heh… well all joking aside, the hidden runners over where I looked were rather boring. Anthus's pack wanted me to send a threat to Bannus's pack. And then when I got there they sent me a threat to send back. This happened about four times."

"A lot of talk?" Logos questioned.

Hano shrugged. "I kind of hope not. If somebody is going to have me send messages about the other pack leader's children being ugly or mating with yellow bellies then I honestly hope someone gets a beak bloodied. Not even I'm that bad."

"Are you sure, Hano?" Veer mocked.

"Shut up, Veer!" Hano whined as Fratus descended into laughter.

"Anything else?" Chronos asked, keeping a mental note of the names involved. If two new packs of upstarts were about to come to blows then that meant two packs that could be manipulated by those in a more powerful position. However, upon seeing a shake of the head, he moved on.

"Well, you may want to keep an eye on those two, no matter how boring it may be. I sense that situation might get much more interesting soon."

"Yeah, because of that hidden shit, Wrok."

Chronos had to suppress laughter. Despite the sheer juvenileness of it he couldn't help but to admire the irreverence of the youngsters. For them this was a chance for adventure and to gain a reputation for their services. And, in exchange for the occasional advice or healing leaves from the rainbowfaces, their two benefactors got good information from the lands beyond from those who had not yet grown enough to form ulterior motives.

"Well, unlike fuzz for brains over here…" Fratus began.

"Hey!"

Fratus continued, "I actually was able to hear some stuff about Wrok from some tiny biters in the area."

Logos sighed. "And you were able to make sense of it?"

Veer whistled. "This should be good…"

"Well, it took a long time to get them to stop talking about how much food they'd found to ge them to tell me what the food was..."

Logos tapped a rock that she had under her foot as Chronos gave her an unreadable expression. "Go on…"

"It took a bit of convincing, but eventually I was told that they'd found a large number of dead hidden runners, many of them already slashed up when they found them. It sounds to me like a pack got wiped out or something."

"Where was this?" Chronos asked, his voice barely audible.

"It was over by a stream. There was another stream nearby going into a forest..."

"Well that only describes about a hundred places, Fratus," Hano noted.

"Other than some bodies floating in the stream there wasn't much to distinguish it from other places. Though if I'm remembering my rivers correctly it wasn't too far from where some of Seeker's allies were staying with a pack of hidden runners."

But by this point the rainbowfaces were no longer listening, having already made their deductions.

"Okay… Fratus?" Logos spoke softly.

"Ma'am?" Fratus replied, suddenly rather focused.

"I think that we may need to deliver a very important message to Seeker," she leaned over to whisper in his ear, "Tell him the following exactly: "The stream drowns our thoughts in sorrow, but are all the petals still in the stream? Ask the violet how the Verant fares. Ask the look-out what the Fratus hears. If they both hear the same then have someone end the game."

"Dear?" Chronos interrupted, only to be waved off by his mate.

"Okay..." Fratus said, acknowledging Logos's instructions but not quite understanding what was meant to say actually meant.

Logos continued, "It is very important that that message stays with you and only goes to Seeker. You understand? Lives may depend on it."

"Understood," Fratus replied, now even more confused.

Logos nodded before turning her attention to the others. "I have special messages for each of you as well…"

Chronos was silent as he watched his mate give secret messages to each flyer before sending each on their way. She was methodical in this work and even without hearing her words he understood what she was doing. Soon only the two rainbowfaces remained.

"What gave him away?" he finally asked.

Logos stared at the sky. "Anthus is not the sort of name that a hidden runner would have, and even if it was his report was curiously thin."

Chronos blinked. "You suspect Hano?"

Logos nodded. "It is only logical that those who are in this fight would want to listen in on anyone who could interfere. Though as soon as we get confirmation we can find out more information."

Chronos shivered. "Confirmation. How very clinical. How much of the pack's methods of extraction do you plan on putting in your report, dear?"

His mate sighed deeply as she tapped the Archiver Stone under her foot once more, shutting it down. There would be another report to send to the Consortium tonight.

How to identify a spy.

* * *

"Can you see them yet," Mender asked as she skidded to a stop, barely avoiding colliding with the line of healers. _Why aren't they here yet?_

"Not yet," Ducky spoke softly as she gripped a few seeds in her hand. Seeds that were used to put dinosaurs unconscious. "Soar said that they were taking longer as they are carrying the kids."

"They should be very close now!" Soar's voice echoed as she flew over, "I told them to land on lookout hill."

It was only then that an exhausted Orchid nearly crashed into the assembled healers. "Everyone else is getting healing leaves… Taunt wanted to know if we needed anything specific."

Soar looked down. "What… whatever is needed for an eye injury."

"What?" Mender was stunned. She forced herself to take a breath. "Any other injuries?" she finally asked.

 **Caw!**

Everyone's eyes turned towards the sudden call in the darkness. There was no mistaking its meaning, and no ambiguity in its intent. The injured were about to arrive.

Mender forced herself to remain calm, at least on the outside. _No time to panic now. The kids have at least one eye injury and who knows what else._

"Aunt Mender!"

 _Sounds like Ungu's feeling well enough to shout,_ Mender thought, having heard her niece calling from the still somewhat distant flyers, _I can't let them down. They think I can do anything, so I better do everything I can._

She only hoped that it would be enough.

* * *

 **Thanks for the reviews, everyone! My apologies for the delay in sending this out but between the end of the semester and other issues both Historian1912 and I have been really pressed for time. Hopefully future chapters can be published in a more timely manner.  
**

 **bryan mccloud** : Yep, that might be Gyors best option at this point, but only time will tell. The lack of depth perception means he will permanently be a liability for hunting, but perhaps he can make that up in having other skills? Only time will tell. As for Nahoda, he has made a friendship in this chapter. Hopefully he can avoid being on the menu despite Mender having a taste for him. XD

 **Devout Relic** : Thank you very much for the kind words. (: I hope this chapter was worth the wait as well, though I hope subsequent chapters will not take a month to prepare in the future. I am also glad to hear that you have grown fond of some of the newer characters. Don't worry... some of them will still have roles in the chapters to come.

 **Keijo6** : Yep, the initial past storyline is ending, but a new past storyline is beginning. After all, we need to find out how Mender left the pack, and how the current alliance with the hidden runners came into fruition. We have to find out what new order was created in order to understand the gravity of what is threatened. And indeed a time for conflict is fast approaching, you can think of this chapter as a prelude of sorts for the coming storm.

 **gordhanx** : Thank you for the detailed review as always. (: Things are starting slow in the second Act, a lull before the storm so to speak, but things will be heating up soon. As we can now see the intrigue is now apparent in the valley, and the rainbowfaces have spotted a mole. This will be the first of several new threats for the valley to face. After all, as with any new order, there will be those who wished it were different. And there will be others who simply join one side or another out of ambition. This will have consequences in the chapters to come.

 **Thanks again, everyone! Until next time, have a great day! (:**


	23. Chapter 19: Fish of the Same Stream

**-v-**

 **Chapter 19: Fish of the same stream**

" _ **A liar who speaks the truth is a dangerous liar indeed."**_

 _ **~Ancient hidden runner saying**_

* * *

 _How could I have let this happen?_ Verant asked himself, having just now had enough time to think about anything other than ensuring his son's survival, _Could I have found the hidden runner faster? Should I have made Gyors go back to his siblings?_ He shook his head at the last thought, dismissing it instantly. Gyors had inherited his father's stubbornness streak, but he didn't always apply it in ways he father would approve. Telling him to go to sleep was no guarantee that he would do so.

"It's okay, Momma."

Verant turned to look at his mate and noticed that she was shaking slightly. Their children had, not surprisingly, noticed. "Staza?" he asked, concerned.

"Do you think they will be alright up there? I mean they seemed fine when the flyers took off, but do you think they are cold or scared? Maybe they're hungry? We hadn't had a chance to eat since…"

"I'm sure that the flyers are flying good, Momma. After all they are flyers. Flyers should be good at flying!" Lula noted with excitement as she rose from her mother's back and moved over to her mother's neck in order to give her a nuzzle. His son Tormid and the remaining children did the same. It was obvious that they were feeling the absence of their brother and sister as well.

He only hoped that Gyors' absence would be a temporary one.

"They're going to be fine," Verant said reassuringly, "The only way they could be in better claws would be if Mender were there to help; they'd have someone they knew when they got there."

Staza allowed herself to be nuzzled by her mate as she sighed. "I guess we have all been through tough times before." That was when the soft sobbing of her children reached her ears, causing a pang of guilt as she knew it was her momentary weakness in front of the children that again made their emotional defenses weaken. That's when she had an idea.

"Maybe you kids would enjoy hearing a story about when your father and Leap got out of a rather difficult situation?"

"Which situation?" Verant asked, somewhat confused. There were many situations involving himself and Leap that could be called 'difficult'.

The children's sobbing began to turn into curious warbles as her words caught their attention. It was once she knew that her words had worked their magic that she gave Verant a wink and a bittersweet smile.

 _If only Gyors and Ugnu could be here to hear this._

"So, would the one about us going going over the cliff be alright?" Verant asked his mate.

"You went off a cliff?" Tormid jumped up and down with excitement.

"Was there a flyer to catch you two?" a hidden runner youngling asked as several of the adult hidden runners laughed at her antics. As the survivors moved ahead, however, it was obvious that their attention was now focused on whatever story the fastbiter had to tell. They were desperate for anything that would take their minds off of their current reality.

Verant sighed, feigning resignation. "No, there wasn't a flyer. You'd never find one big enough, anyway," he explained, laughing as he did so, "We were looking off of this cliff when it gave way… that was when the raging waters came up to meet us..."

* * *

 **The past:**

 _The entire world appeared to disappear into an incomprehensible collection of colors and sounds. Where once was a steady breeze there now was moisture. Where once there were rocks there now were muted blues and green. Where once was air was now…_

 _Realization hit him as soon as the water entered his throat. He couldn't breath!_

 _Slashing out with his back legs he struggled to head towards the light, its shimmering yet indistinct form beckoning to him like a long lost friend. That was when he felt a sudden tug on his tail. In the next moment he was thrust into a world of impossible brightness and terrible sound as the roars of the rapids abused his ears._

 _He barely had enough wits about him to move his head out of the way of the boulder._

" _We've got rocks up ahead," Dodger informed him, shouting over the roar of the water. Try to get to one of the sides."_

 _Leap could barely hear his counterpart over the endless roar of water upon the rocks. Boulders whizzed by him at breakneck speed as he twisted and contorted his body to avoid being crushed in the onslaught. It was only after flailing for a few moments that he saw what was ahead._

 _An endless torrent of mist. They were approaching a thundering fall._

 _He struggled to find his counterpart, only to see Dodger try to reorient himself after sideswiping an oncoming boulder, cutting into his back._

 _He held his breath. He knew what he had to do._

 _Pushing out with his legs in a desperate forward swim, he began to edge closer and closer towards the edge of the raging river, but never securing himself to the welcoming sands._

 _He had to go faster._

 _Faster and faster his body sped closer and closer to the torrent of white mist as Dodger's struggling form began to get closer to his. He had only one chance to make this work. As soon as the blue fastbiter disappeared behind him, Leap struck out at the black mud with his sickle claws, ignoring the pain as he body's forward momentum suddenly stopped._

" _My tail! Grab my tail!"_

 _Dodger did as he was told, if in more than a little disorientated fashion. Leap was going to have some very interesting scars after this._

 _Leap gritted his teeth as he began to claw his way up the mud, inch by laborious inch. It was only a few moments, but it felt like an eternity. It was only when the pressure was off of his tail that he allowed his head to rest on the cold sand._

 _The next thing he knew was darkness._

Dodger didn't know how long he'd been asleep, but he was very aware that he was in pain. He didn't so much wake up as been thrown into alertness by his much-abused body. "Ow," he breathed more than said, too tired to come up with something more coherent. _This is much worse than when I fell in the river with Violet._

He struggled to get to his feet, doing his best to ignore the pain that seemed to permeate his entire body. It was only when he rose to his normal height that he promptly collapsed again, hissing in pain. Muscle fatigue had begun to take its toll. It was a sign of how close he had come to tragedy. If it hadn't been for Leap…

His eyes shot open. _Leap!_

Dodger instinctively leapt to his feet before collapsing back to the ground, immediately regretting the action. He got up again, much slower this time, and started to look around "Leap?" he called, his voice just below a shout. The roar of the nearby thundering fall might cover some of his voice, but he couldn't risk it carrying too far. "Leap?"

A muffled groan reached his ears. It came from his left.

"Leap!" Dodger rushed to his packmate's side and immediately started inspecting his packmate's injuries. There was nothing he could do for the injuries from hitting rocks that he was pretty sure were there, but there might be something he could do about Leap's tail. It didn't smell infected, and Leap didn't smell like he was dead or was about to be. "Don't move," he ordered unnecessarily before hurrying off, desperately trying to remember what his sister had said about this particular type of injury. _Since she rambled for half the night, I'm lucky I remember any of it at all._

" _And Ponder showed me how to clean a cut after Taunt got nipped by Stern Claw! She told me if the water is clear and clean then it won't be mean, but if the water is stagnant and poor then it will hurt it more."_

" _What does that mean?" Tracker asked with more than a little curiosity._

 _Violet nodded. "I didn't really know until Stern Claw told me. She explained with a different helpful rhyme: if the water is clear and clean then it won't be mean, but if the water is slow and green then Taunt will die horribly." She tilted her head, "I guess she can't rhyme well, but at least I understood that better."_

"So where can I find water that isn't the river?" Dodger wondered. Even if it were perfectly usable, which he wasn't entirely sure about, he'd rather stay as far away from it as he reasonably could. One near-death experience was quite enough for the day.

A short time later, Dodger was back at the river, having only been able to find some rather foul-smelling pools that had turned some rather alarming colors. "Okay, so how do I get water from here to Leap?"

" _And then Stern Claw told Taunt to get her a snapping shell half unless he wanted her to drag his as…" Violet caught herself before looking around nervously, "I mean rear to the stream."_

" _Do those help the bleeding?"_

 _Violet shook her head. "No, but instead of carrying meat they can also carry water. I know… I never really thought about that before either."_

"Hmm, where would I find a snapping shell?" Dodger wondered aloud. Deciding that the water was moving far too quickly near the falls, he followed the river back aways, barely out of sight of Leap's location to a connecting stream where he found several snapping shells. After selecting one whose shell was a decent size he quickly made a meal out of it, eating as if he were back in Prowler's pack.

It was then that he followed Violet's directions in his head, running the now empty shell through the rushing water of the river, allowing for the shell to be cleaned into a pristine white. It was only then that he dunked the shell in the water one last time to fill it with the life-giving liquid.

With that done, he ran back to Leap's location with the shell. Quickly inspecting the wounds once more. There was no evidence of mud or infection in the wounds, but one could never be too careful. With deliberate caution he allowed the water to flow down the deepest gash.

"Urgh…"

"Sorry, Leap, but I'm not losing you because of your tail," Dodger muttered as if in apology, not sounding all that apologetic.

"Tail?" Leap muttered as consciousness began to return to him. That was when the water finally broke through some of the matted blood, causing a spasm of pain to go up his back.

Leap was up in an instant, wide-eyed. "My tail!"

He circled for a moment, as if there were an invisible enemy between himself and Dodger. It was only after one full revolution that recognition reached his features. "We made it?"

"Barely. Neither of us could have made it alone," Dodger admitted.

Leap nodded. "I nearly didn't make it out of the water until you helped pull me out. It was like… something was pulling me down until I tried swimming up."

"Staza said she felt something like that once when she went swimming when she was little," Dodger said, "She's always liked the water."

Leap laughed lightly before shaking his head. "I don't think it likes either of us very much." It was then that he spared a moment to look around. "I have no idea where we are. We didn't pass by any of this on our way to the Black Mounds."

Dodger noted that the blood was now flowing freely in the tail wounds, which was good as it would lead any infection out. A free bleeder was the only good bleeder as his pack used to say.

"I know exactly where we are. The middle of nowhere!" Dodger replied, half joking since, to him, there was a very obvious solution to their problem. They could just follow the river until they found something familiar. "Shouldn't we just follow the river back to where we were?" he asked.

Leap looked at the river from one direction, before turning around to examine it from another. "If we follow the setting Bright Circle that should lead us in the right direction. But who knows how far we have gone?"

"We'll just have to find out, won't we?"

Leap gave Dodger an odd look. "You make this sound like a regular occurrence, Verant."

"Let's see... I'm starving, in the middle of nowhere, and probably badly outnumbered by whatever's out there," Dodger replied, "Sounds like the later half of my life up until now." For all the problems he had just listed, his tone was surprisingly nonchalant.

"You sound like my brother," Leap noted with an odd mixture of cheerfulness and melancholy, "Well… I suppose every journey begins with a single step."

As the two began to make their way beside the roaring river they had no idea how many steps still awaited them.

* * *

The roar of raging winds echoed in the flyer's ears as he leaned towards his right. Almost immediately he felt the sensation of his body lifting into the air. Without even consciously thinking about his actions, he carefully followed the rising air of the thermal as he ascended into the clouds. It would only take a gradual descent now to give him the velocity needed to catch up to Thud's newly enlarged pack.

Or at least that was his plan. As much as he hated to admit it he had miscalculated before.

The opaque cream of the clouds began to dissipate as the verdant greens and desolate browns of the ground below appeared before his unblinking eyes. As soon as he saw the slightest hint of movement from a green dot in the distance he allowed himself a smile.

 _Found you, Thud._

* * *

 _Come on, Leap! You have to be alive! You just have to be!_

Swift's head darted back and forth as she searched for any sign of her brother. Ever since Verok had died she only had Thud and Leap at her side. She didn't even want to contemplate what she would do if she lost her other brother as well.

He was her final connection to what had once been a happy family. A family cut down all too soon by the cruel claws of fate.

"You okay, Swift?" Tracker asked, giving her packmate a concerned look.

Swift shook her head as she continued to sprint ahead. "I won't be fine until we find them both." _How can she be so calm? Doesn't she understand that we might have lost everything?_

Her eyes darted at the river, looking for any sign of a body hanging onto the rocks. But the only thing that she could see in the fading light was the water turning darker as its azure hues began to match that of the evening sky.

Soon they would have to break off their search for the night. This knowledge stabbed at her like a horn through the chest. She knew every moment that went by with no sign that their chances of finding them alive diminished greatly.

Her body began to shake almost imperceptibly.

"They're going to be fine, Swift," Tracker said, half to reassure Swift and half to reassure herself.

That was the last straw. "How the fuck can you know that?! For all we know they could be trapped out there or… or..."

"Or they could be like my son and Breeze. Just waiting for a helping claw."

Thud's form seemingly appeared out of nowhere as he carefully approached the emotional Swift, allowing his tail to touch hers.

"We will not give up, Swift. Don't worry. But we have to stay strong."

Swift tried to control her features, but she still looked down in an ashamed expression. This was why Verok had Leap put him out of misery and not her. She was too emotionally weak, she berated herself.

"They probably ended up further down the river," Tracker said, trying to reassure Swift that not finding anything right now wasn't as bad as she thought it was, "When I fell in a river once I ended up very far away from where I started."

"This happened to you?" Swift asked in amazement as Thud looked at her with concern.

"Yeah," Tracker replied, now somewhat embarrassed that she brought it up, "In case you haven't noticed, I'm kinda clumsy. I was getting chased and fell in. Dodger jumped in after me. I'm a decent swimmer, but I probably wouldn't have ever gotten out without him. I definitely wouldn't have made it back to the pack without him."

Swift forced herself to calm down. If Dodger had helped Tracker out of a similar situation… and Thud had found his own son when he had drifted downstream…

That was when the sound of flapping wings could be heard.

"Spotter? What are you doing here?" Tracker asked, surprised to see the flyer.

Swift could only stare at the flyer as well. If they had eyes in the sky then they could…

"Me just practice tracking and find you. How is everyone? Where is Verant and…"

"You can help find them!"

Petrie nearly flew off once he saw that Swift was within inches of his beak. But it looked as if he suspected that he would be pounced on if he did so.

"They lost?"

Thud swallowed. "They fell. The river took them."

"If you want to help, you better leave now," Tracker added, "It'll be dark soon."

The flyer nodded as he tried to scoot away from the raptors so that he would have room to get airborne. "If me not find them tonight, then me get pack to help! Every sniffer helps!"

"But it would take them days to get here!" Swift tried to stay calm, but the reality of the situation was clawing at her again. "By then it could be…"

"By then we might need healers," Thud interrupted, his eyes widening, "If any of them get the coughing sickness…"

Petrie nodded. "Me go now! Either our friends or my pack be found tonight!"

As the flyer slowly rose into the darkening sky Swift could only think one thought over and over again. _Just as long as they are found..._

* * *

 **The present, Seeker's territory:**

"Um, how do we get down?" Ungu asked as the flyer carrying her started to descend. It just now occurred to her that she was currently where the flyer was supposed to land.

As if he had heard the little fastbiter's question, the flyer's forward motion slowed until it finally became a stationary hover. Soon the blades of grass could be seen under the young one's feet despite the darkness. She barely had time to react once she felt the talons begin to loosen their grip.

"Wha... aiii!" Ungu let out a panicked shriek when the talons released her entirely. Her landing was rather undignified. "Oof."

The sound of sprinting feet and assertive grunts immediately reached her ears. As she looked up the only thing that greeted her eyes was the sudden appearance of several fastbiters.

"No blood smell!"

"No infection!"

 _Wha... what?_ Ungu looked at the fastbiters approaching her in confusion. _Aunt Mender's here, but who are the other two? Did they think I was hurt, too?_

Instantly she was beset by yellow eyes examining her from every angle. Mender examined her head and chest, while the others examined her tail and flank. Hidden runners and fastrunners then appeared to descend upon her from every direction as the confusing scent of fastbiter, hidden runner, fastrunners, and various pungent plants reached her snout. The overwhelming torrent was enough to fill her with fear.

"Aunt Mender?"

Mender did her best to give the little youngling a reassuring expression, but the scent of fear could not be hidden. "Where are you hurt, Ugnu? Do you feel any pain?"

"I'm fine, Aunt Mender," Ungu replied, "I didn't want Gyors to be alone."

The violet fastbiter appeared to be stunned for a moment before a relieved breath left her mouth. She gently tapped Ugnu on her back.

"That… that's good to hear. How about you go ahead and rest with Breeze for a moment?" She gestured at a gray fastbiter in the distance, who quickly was at attention.

Ungu glanced from Breeze to Mender and back again, somewhat panicked look on her face.

Mender gave her a little nudge as Breeze arrived with Spike in tow. "She is one of my friends, Ugnu. She is pack," Mender assured before the sound of the other flyer landing reached her ears.

"Hey, little guy, are you still with us?"

"Gyors!" Ungu shouted, before starting to rush over to where her brother had landed. She didn't get far before Ducky cut her off and lightly applied pressure on her back, causing her to go limp out of reflex. Before she knew what had happened she was on a grey scaled back.

"It's okay, little one… Shhhh… It's okay…"

Ungu couldn't help it. The temporary loss of her mobility was one thing too many. She started crying. She could be brave for her brother, but now, effectively alone in a new place surrounded by complete strangers, she was scared.

Spike was cautious to keep his distance from the little one and to let Breeze take the lead in comforting her. In the end, however, it was the events in front of them that eventually took all of Ungu's attention.

"I need green sap now! I might need to make a cut!"

"Got it, Mender!"

One hidden runner, a male, handed Mender the sap she was asking for while a female hidden runner laid her head on Gyors's chest, confusing Ungu to no end.

"What are they doing?" Ungu wondered aloud, not realizing she was voicing her thoughts. Had her aunt not been involved she would have been much more frantic in her questioning.

Mender began to hurriedly run her claws together as the green sap slowly covered them in a verdant glow. Quickly thereafter another dinosaur that she recognized as one of Ovi's kind lifted something that looked like a hard tree fruit, before drenching Mender's claws in water.

Mender looked down at the hidden runner who was still resting her head on Gyors' chest. "Please, Cynnil, tell me it's good news."

Ungu could feel the fastbiter she was on look at her mate. "Little one, perhaps we should let Mender do her work…" She could begin to feel the massive female begin to step backwards.

Ungu scrambled to her feet, prepared to jump off. She wasn't leaving her brother alone.

"His bam-bam is going strong, and his breathing is fine. Maybe the pain knocked him out?"

"Gyors?" Ungu squeaked, not liking what she was hearing at all.

"The little one was hurting quite bad, but then I thought he fell asleep. He took a sharp stick to the eye," the flyer admitted, suddenly looking guilty, as Mender gave the little fastbiter a few tentative licks.

A pained groan suddenly arose from the little biter. This was followed by a soft cry.

"Hey…. shhhh… Aunt Mender is here. We're going to give you something to take the pain away, okay?" Mender softly cooed in a manner that was barely audible to Ungu before she turned to a nearby fastrunner, "Only a half a bud, Orchid. He's a kid."

Ungu struggled to see what is going on, but, intentionally or not, Spike was doing a wonderful job of obstructing her view. Exhausted, she let Breeze carry her away from her aunt and brother.

"Okay, he is out. Let's see what we can do…"

* * *

Ducky collapsed into her scrape with all of the ceremony of a boulder landing in a mud pool. Everything that could have been done for the little fastbiter had been done, and now all everyone could do was wait for the results. The wound had been cleaned and debris removed, but there would be no vision from that side.

A permanent disability.

"Cynnil and Mender are keeping watch over Gyors. Do you mind taking over when the morning light comes?"

Ducky barely nodded her head at Ruby's question. She sounded as exhausted as Ducky felt. While Ducky rested Ruby allowed herself to look up at the others.

The rest of the pack was resting, with Ungu's prone form being watched over by Spike like a silent sentinel. She also knew that the pack's flyers had to be on standby somewhere as well. All except for Soar, that is, who undoubtedly was resting after her headlong flight. Perhaps she had the right idea...

That was when Orchid's shadow fell over her under the Night Circle's glow. Mender's newest little healer.

And her flesh and blood.

She waved him over without giving him a second look. She was more than a little surprised to see all three fastrunners appear in front of her. They all had the look of fatigue in their eyes, with the exception of Nahoda who looked more than a little overwhelmed.

 _Join the club, Nahoda._

Ruby forced her eyes to remain open. By all rights it was now her time to get some rest before any other crisis could befall the pack or its allies. However, with the arrival of the rest of her family, it was also the time for something else. Something that could not be put off any longer.

"Thank you all for helping. We really needed the help." Ruby's voice came in a low growl due to her exhaustion, though only Nahoda showed any sign of concern at this. "Ungu is with Finder and the kids."

Orchid allowed himself a yawn before merely nodding.

"If they're asleep then they have the right idea," Arial affirmed before giving Nahoda a shove to keep him upright.

"I'm awake," Nahoda muttered, shaking himself. He actually hadn't been _entirely_ asleep. "Can we go to sleep now?"

Arial rolled her eyes before giving her sister a look. "I am amazed nothing gobbled you up in the Mysterious Beyond, Dear. It's hard to run when you are in a sleep story."

Nahoda retorted, "I usually hid and went to sleep when it got dark. I think the Bright Circle will be rising soon."

Ruby laughed lightly as she gestured for the fastrunners to have a seat. "Well allow me to be yet _another_ sharptooth to keep you awake. We have quite a bit to discuss."

The stares of exasperation were noticeable from her sister and her mate. Only Orchid had a more subdued expression. After all, he had directly helped with the little fastbiter's procedure.

Arial finally spoke, "Can this wait until the Bright Circle comes up, sis?"

Nahoda nodded before looking in the direction of the gradually brightening horizon. "Maybe even a bit longer?"

"If tonight has taught me anything it is that you never know if you will ever see the Bright Circle again, until you see it again," Ruby noted with a solemn expression as she looked in the general direction of where Gyors lay, "He reminds me so much of Biter in a way…"

The other fastrunners exchanged a look as they sat down without any further instruction. The context of her words was obvious to anyone capable of hearing.

"Did you have any siblings, Nahoda?"

Nahoda's face shifted from surprise at being addressed directly all of a sudden to slightly sad. "I _had_ four," he replied, "None of my siblings survived to leave our parents."

Ruby watched as her two siblings looked upon Nahoda with shock. Her suspicions were correct. Giving him a respectful nod she allowed him a moment to talk to his mate.

"That's horrible, Nahoda!" the voice of her sister exclaimed as she placed a hand to her beak, "I mean… we had close calls but…"

"But you got lucky," Ruby finished.

Nahoda turned and nodded at Ruby, agreeing with her statement.

"Getting lucky one time doesn't mean you'll be lucky the next time."

Orchid had been silent during this entire exchange, silently taking in the exchange. He did not have the same look of shock, and Ruby could guess why. After all, Orchid had to have passed a pack test. He had to face the greatest fear before he could face his pack.

"We have to face our fears before we can deal with them," as Ruby said this she locked eyes with the fastrunner who had taken her sister for a mate, "You have already been doing good work, Nahoda, with the traps and noise-makers. But seeing your fears in front of you is different than just thinking of them. Because when you are just thinking of something then you don't see it."

Orchid tried to intervene to no avail. "Sis, I think he knows what…"

"He knows what being in danger is. He does not know what seeing one of his children in danger is. None of you do. Not until today." Ruby's piercing stare, made all the more penetrating due to her predatory form, seemed to stare into their very souls.

"I'm pretty sure fearing for your own kids is worse than this," Nahoda said after a moment. After all, he had never even heard of the kids that had been brought to them so suddenly.

Ruby averted her eyes slightly, finally realizing how her stare must have worked to the others. She quickly changed to the practical matter of her conversation. "I guess this was your first time healing, Orchid. What do you think of the little biter's condition?"

Orchid's voice was subdued. "Mender sounded sad." He clicked his beak as if trying to find the right words. "He only had part of an eye…"

Both Nahoda and Arial averted their eyes as they leaned more tightly against one another, making the distance between themselves and Orchid look all the more obvious. They had been spared seeing the gory details.

She envied them in a way.

"Today we saw what can happen to us at any moment. We learned that none of us are immune from being struck down. None of us." Ruby took a deep breath, taking in the warm humid air that normally would be welcoming to her senses but now only felt like a stagnant swamp. "You are family. You are pack. Remember what is at stake."

She did not try to hide the mistiness of her eyes as she looked at her fastrunner family and offered her clawed hand to them. It was an affirmation that they had the pack's protection, but also that they would do anything to protect their comrades.

Orchid was the first to place his hand on hers, recognizing the gesture immediately from his own pack. He was followed by Nahoda's hesitant joining of the gesture before Arial placed hers over his. It was then that Ruby nodded at the group. No words had to be exchanged to convey the meaning.

 _Family stays together._

* * *

 **The Great Valley:**

"At this very moment Chronos is giving Bron the exact same information that I am giving you now. Absolutely none of this should be mentioned to anyone else."

Topps had heard many ominous things in his life, and he had dealt with the usual crypticness of the rainbowfaces as one of the usual duties of being a Valley elder, but even he knew when something stranger than usual was afoot.

The fact that Logos had dared to wake him up early was a testament to that.

He looked down at the colorful dinosaur with a concerned expression. "Go on…"

Logos paused, which gave the threehorn pause as well. Something was terribly wrong. The fact that the next words were uttered in a whisper only punctuated that point.

"We have a traitor in the valley."

Every part of his being demanded that he stomp his feet and scream in exasperation, but he took head of the rainbowface's implied warning. The threehorn's words were deadly calm, with a weariness that could only come with advanced age.

"Then he will die."

Logos raised a hand in a calming gesture seemingly out of habit. She surely knew that it would not work on an old threehorn. "Before we can do that we need to know who he or she is. And, before we can know who they are, we need to know who is on their side… besides Wrok."

Topps glared at the rainbowfaces though his contempt was for someone quite far away. "How do you know that we have a traitor?"

What followed was an explanation that at first appeared harmless enough. A boastful flyer bragging about messages that were never sent. An attempt to earn respect that was not actually earned. But then, as the story continued, the discrepancies became even more pronounced. That was when Logos mentioned her plan.

"We gave each of them a riddle to be sent to Seeker, each one slightly different. If Spotter sees any delay in the delivery of the message… or if his own sources tell him the message first before the messenger gets there..." Logos's voice was cold. "Then we will get more information when the spy is interrogated."

Topps growled in anger. "And you decided to do this without telling anyone else?"

"We had to make the decision on the spot if it were going to be made. Any delay might have tipped the flyer off." Topps was about to retort when the rainbowface looked into his eyes. "I don't like this anymore than you do, but sometimes a harder right must be made over an easier wrong."

Topps glared at her. "You make being devoured by sharpbeaks sound so very honorable."

The rainbowface did not break her eye contact. "Honorable or not, it is done, and now you know. The rest is up to you."

Threehorn and rainbowface continued to stare for several moments as the consequences of the situation continued to seep into his mind. A flyer spy implied a much more extensive support for Wrok than even he could have anticipated. He could know the plans of the valley in relation to Ignis, their communications with other allies, their weaknesses…

And chief among these weaknesses was the ever-present disapproval of sharpteeth, no matter how distant. This was excusable due to what a sharptooth's diet meant to a leaf-eater, but foolish when it came to the needs of mutual defense. What if another Redclaw came along? Or another Calin?

And Wrok's actions as of late hinted at something more sinister. Using the ambitious among his neighbors to shift things into his favor. But thus far this had only been attempted with other hidden runner packs from what the flyers had told them, but what if he tried the same with the valley? Surely no one would make a move against the well-respected elders…

 _You mean like you, Old Timer? Or Bron? There is always a young upstart who looks forward to taking down the old buck. I'm sure that there are more than enough domeheads and threehorns who have more aggression than sense._

Topps's eyes went cold.

 _"Shhhh…" the threehorn cautioned, "Here comes my uncle."_

 _The two dinosaurs quickly stiffened up as the gray threehorn emerged through the foliage, a curious look on his face. That was when the threehorn stepped forward with a polite bow._

 _"It seems the domeheads dispute their placement, sir."_

 _The domehead stepped forward with fake indignation. "You ignorant horn-faced…"_

 _Topps's unimpressed growl interrupted the display as he examined the stream and the swimmers nearby. It was obvious that he had heard all of this before._

 _"Again? What part of the territory do you challenge, Nepha?"_

 _The domehead looked taken aback for a moment before answering. "Well… my herd has been growing so it is only best that we get more of the stream."_

Logos appeared to notice his change in expression. "Mr. Threehorn?"

 _The other threehorn protested, "And the swimmer herd hasn't been growing? They outnumber you three to one easily!"_

 _"It isn't our fault that the swimmers breed like Rampaging Leaf-Swarmers…"_

 _"Enough!" Topps roared with more than a little exasperation, "You can tell your claim to the valley during the next meeting. Until then the stream is shared, understood?"_

 _The domehead held his ground for a moment before giving a reluctant nod and storming off. Leaving the threehorn and Topps alone._

 _"I never took you for a diplomat, Castor."_

 _Castor looked at his uncle with a slight smile. "I normally don't have a domehead herd leader yelling at me, sir."_

 _Topps snorted. "Alright, well… this can work itself out in a few days. In the meantime it is your turn to sleep and to let the others have a turn keeping watch over the stream."_

 _Castor protested, but not heavily. "What bellydraggers would be stupid enough to swim through our streams?"_

 _"Dead ones," Topps answered with an arrogant laugh, "But the youngsters need practice. Care to wake them?"_

 _Castor smiled. "A training session, sir?"_

 _"I think the little ones are ready for some training. Besides, the only way to keep Tricia out of trouble is to find her trouble."_

 _Castor laughed as he strolled towards the herd's grounds. "You could just remove the bad influences."_

 _Topps rolled his eyes. "Yeah… that worked so well with Cera. Have a good night, Castor."_

 _As Castor bellowed a parting call Topps was left alone by the stream to await the arrival of what was sure to be tired and irritable children. Welcome to the world of adulthood, children. It is not all fun and games._

 _He snorted as he took a drink from the stream. Domeheads wanting to take swimmer territory, hmmm… something doesn't sound right about that._

 _It wasn't until he could hear his daughter's annoyed grunt in the distance that the reason why it seemed strange finally came to him._

 _The domehead lands are nowhere near here… then what was all of that about?_

 _As the sound of the advancing children approached him, he resolved to get the full story from his nephew._

 _Why was Nepha even here, Castor?_

Topps opened his mouth as if to speak, but no words came out. He had merely marked the incident up to a domehead losing track of his territory and his nephew, Castor, not being well acquainted with the exact division of the herds' boundaries. But what if it were something else?

Castor had been the one to be seriously injured during the battle with Chomper's parents. But surely he didn't hold that kind of grudge against his uncle… right?

"Sir?" the rainbowface prompted once more.

Topps blinked. There was only one good choice here. As the damned arrogant rainbowface had stated sometimes one had to do a harder right instead of an easier wrong. And if Topps was right then his nephew would be exonerated.

And if not…

"Logos, I think that we might have to have Volant help with this one. Tell her to gather some flyers that she can trust life and then to talk to us personally."

Logos was taken aback for a moment, but then clicked her beak as if she realized something and nodded her head.

"When do you plan on talking to Ignis?"

The rainbowface gave no indication of surprise when the threehorn deduced her next move. "Chronos and I will leave in the morning. The valley is overdue to have the usual exchange of healing plants and pleasantries. Now the pleasantries will include something a bit less pleasant."

Topps nodded. "I will assign those you deem trustworthy to the journey. And your children?"

Logos sighed as she looked up at Topps. "I would hate to burden you, sir, but…"

"Done. Tria and I will watch the little ones." He resisted the urge to give an amused snort at the expression Logos gave him. "You have helped watch Tricia when I made that journey so it is only right that we help you."

He added after a pause, "Especially after what happened last time."

Both dinosaurs could only be silent after that. The loss of one of the valley's own and the near-loss of several of their beloved children was a testament to how dangerous the routine missions to the hidden runners territory truly was. But in a time of rising danger such a risk was more important than ever.

As the Bright Circle began to rise over the horizon he could only hope that it was the dawning of a bright new day and not a sign of them fast running out of time.

* * *

 **Seeker's territory:**

As he felt the comfortable grass cushion his fall, Littlefoot resisted the urge to fall asleep after he collapsed into his scrape. It only took a few moments for the familiar sensation of his mate sitting beside him to register in his consciousness. He could smell that she still had the little one's blood on her body.

He did not wait for Cera and Taunt to get seated before beginning.

"We have no choice now."

Cera and Taunt both fell to the ground like stones as they nodded at his words. Taunt's expression was an uncharacteristic mask, whereas Cera's was one of controlled fury. They all had children of their own. They had all seen the damage. They all knew the stakes.

"Wrok must be killed!" Cera roared, "I don't give a two-footer's ass about complications, he has attacked our own and he must pay!"

Littlefoot remained silent a moment, allowing the others to respond. Their silence was deafening.

"The question is how we should deal with Wrok. We have options, and all of those options entail risk." Littlefoot cautioned.

"We have to think of our own children," Ruby added, "We also need to consider that Wrok may have hurt our friends because he wanted us to avenge our friends."

"It does sound like something that he would do. The hidden runners say that he never does anything directly." Taunt added.

Cera could barely contain herself. "Well, fuck him!" A chunk of grass met an untimely end as she slashed at the ground before glaring at her pack leader. "If we don't help Verant then what kind of friends are we?"

Littlefoot held his gaze. "The question is not whether we help, it is how do we help? Some thinking now may prevent one of us dying later."

Taunt risked touching his mate's tail in a comforting gesture. "Dear…"

Cera held her glare for several moments before turning away and slashing the ground again, sending a tuft of dirt on top of Taunt's head. The somewhat resigned bow of her head confirmed that the crisis had passed for now. She would listen to reason.

Littlefoot sucked in a breath. That was fortunate as they needed all of the brains that they could get at this point.

As soon as she seated herself again, Littlefoot continued.

"We have two allies of trusted standing," Littlefoot noted, as both Slasher's and Verant's packs had risked their lives on more than one occasion for the sake of their friends, "Two of good standing, and several that tolerate us. But none that would risk a full attack."

"They have their own packmates to consider," Cera grumbled.

"Exactly," Littlefoot agreed as he softened his tone somewhat, "And then we have the valley…"

"Do we?" Taunt interrupted before noting Littlefoot's glare, "Sorry, but in case we all forget Path and his folks took more than a few bites out of a few threehorn asses. Now, I don't know about all of you, but allies or not I would be beginning to question loyalties if an ally participated in defending shit like that."

"They were our allies!" Cera protested as if that explained everything.

Taunt sighed. "Yes, dear, and I am sure that your families get that. But do you honestly think the other sap-suckers give a tiny biter's vent? I am not saying that they won't help us, but there might be some problems in sap-sucker paradise."

Ruby nodded. "We may need to be careful with the valley, because the valley might be being careful with us. This is why we had territory outside of the valley in the first place."

Littlefoot groaned. "If that is true then I am sure we will hear the first grumblings of that soon. Chronos and Logos are usually quick with the gossip."

* * *

" _The stream drowns our thoughts in sorrow, but are all the petals still in the stream? Ask the violet how the Verant fares. Ask the look-out what the Fratus hears. If they both hear the same then have someone end the game."_

Fratus still couldn't figure out what the rainbowfaces' message could possibly mean. It was all that he could do just to remember it accurately. _Why did I ever agree to fly messages for those crazies?_ he complained to himself, _Crazy message, weird message senders, and very dangerous message recipients. I truly am insane._ _Well, here goes everything._

Fratus let out a low call, letting the pack know he was friendly. He didn't want to get attacked when he could barely see.

He continued to lose altitude as he coasted towards the barely visible ground. That was when he was greeted by a series of three long calls, followed by two swift shrieks. The sounds confusingly appeared to come from behind him and ahead of him all at the same time.

Fratus returned the call with his own, letting out a shriek, three short calls, and another shriek. _I hope I did that right. If not, I'm dead._ Spotting what he thought was a decent spot to land, Fratus started to dive more steeply towards his hoped for landing spot.

The details of the tall grass became visible as Fratus descended through the last of the fog. Focusing all of his attention on nailing his landing, he paid little heed to all other concerns.

That was when he felt a sudden gust of wind and a loud click echoed in his ears.

Startled, Fratus botched his landing, first skidding his claws along the ground before all but slamming his beak into the ground.

As soon as he crash landed he immediately regretted the decision.

"Damn valley flyers! You almost make Spotter killer! Has Momma not told you the right calls?"

Fratus did not have a chance to answer before two loud shrieks and two long low tones echoed in his right ear as the predator practically deafened him. Then, with a final enraged shriek, the flyer mercifully ended his assault on Fratus's sense of hearing.

 _Ow. What exactly did I get wrong? I could have sworn I got the call right._ Fratus was pretty sure he never wanted to make that flyer angry again.

"There's been enough pain tonight. Now pack woke up," The sharptooth flyer lamented as he took a deep breath. He gave two long calls into the air, presumably to alert the rest of the pack that it was a false alarm.

"What so important that the valley wake pack up?"

"The rainbowfaces gave me a message for you guys," Fratus replied with more than a little exasperation, "It's rather long."

Fratus did his best to say it the same he'd been told the phrase, but his way of memorizing the words meant he sang the message more than he said it. "The stream drowns our thoughts in sorrow, but are all the petals still in the stream?" He allowed his tone to go higher, imitating a courtship song. "Ask the violet how the Verant fares. Ask the look-out what the Fratus hears. If they both hear the same then have someone end the game." He was rather fortunate that the rainbowfaces' messages leant themselves rather readily to his mind songs. Otherwise he would not have been a very good messenger.

Petrie was deadly silent for several moments as his eyes seemed to stare into the flyer's very soul. He did not move a muscle. The only sound was the rustling of the grass in the wind.

"When they give you this?" Petrie asked neutrally.

"A little while before the Bright Circle set," Fratus replied, slightly unnerved by Petrie's lack of movement.

Petrie was quiet for several more moments. "It take you until Bright Circle almost wake up to get here?"

"The winds were bad. I had to fight them the whole way here," Fratus replied, slightly indignant at what he felt was a slight against his flying ability.

"Me believe you. They send you at night to slow you all down. It part of their plan."

"What?" Fratus was now hopelessly confused.

"It is their message," Petrie noted as he examined his wing, "The stream drowns our thoughts in sorrow, but are all the petals still in the stream?"

He continued, "They are asking there that not all of you are on the same side. How many others were you with when you got that message?"

"Three, including me," Fratus answered. _What does he mean by 'sides'. Aren't we all allies?_

"Ask the violet how the Verant fares... They knew that something was wrong with Verant's territory and wanted us to check on him." Petrie paused. "Did one of you find something?"

"I heard tiny biters talking about a lot of dead hidden runners," Fratus replied, "It sounded like there had been a fight or something. I wasn't all that far from where Verant's pack was staying with a hidden runner pack."

"Many died. We treated one of the injured, but we are not sure how he will do," Petrie gave another piercing look at the other flyer, "...Ask the look-out what the Fratus hears. If they both hear the same then have someone end the game."

 _What's that supposed to mean?_ Fratus wondered?

He was stunned when the sharptooth flyer cloaked a wing over him.

Fratus nearly jerked away, alarmed.

"Congratulations, Fratus. Our _**friend**_ not mention you saying anything to Wrok. You get to live."

Fratus couldn't help but gulp at the thought of his life being ended.

The sharptooth flyer glared at the dark skies, searching for the remaining flyers. "Me not sure your other friends be that lucky."

"We're not really that good of friends," Fratus replied, already trying to distance himself from possible retribution.

Petrie snorted as he gave four short sharp tones. Sending the signal that would alert the pack members that were on guard.

"No worries, Fratus. If me doubt that you not be speaking right now."

Fratus immediately took a step away from Petrie. The other flyer was making him feel very uncomfortable. _Can I leave now?_

* * *

 **Ignis's territory:**

"So then I tell her: you have better be careful with him. You may ask for the gills but he will give you the entire fish!" The hidden runner laughed as he slapped his spear.

"Why would anyone want a fish's gills?" the other hidden runner asked, not getting the joke.

His counterpart groaned as he forced himself up from his somewhat relaxed position, resuming his scanning of the horizon. "It was a euphemism, you killjoy."

"A eu-pho-what?"

The hidden runner merely bowed his head in defeat. "A turn-of-phrase… I was implying that Trigor fucks a lot of females, alright?"

"Then why didn't you just say that?" the other hidden runner replied.

"Because it isn't funny that way… I mean…" His counterpart now looked helpless. "Sigh.. forget it. We need to focus on the treeline anyway or the Deputy will have our ass."

"Think we'll see anything today? No one's tried to sneak in around here in awhile."

The larger hidden runner shrugged. "It is not usually the season where the young ones try to prove themselves. No reason to do that when the ladies are all taken. Well, no hurry to do so anyway." He then looked at the other oddly. "I mean come on, Darbo, don't tell me that ladies were not on your mind when you made your first raid into the other packs' scouting grounds. You weren't hatched a joyless curmudgeon."

"I was trying to make my parents proud, Rondo," Darbo replied, smirking slightly, "Maybe that's why you got caught. You weren't focusing on what you were doing."

"Hey! I got it eventually… and besides getting caught by her was totally worth it."

"You're hopeless," Darbo said, shaking his head in exasperation.

The two hidden runners watched the treeline in silence, searching for any hint of movement or any scent of danger. As the middle line they were not usually expected to be searching for obvious danger, but for anyone who might have snuck around the outer watch. Someone like a raider seeking to earn their promotion to scout or tracker.

But these were not usual times.

"Why do you bother carrying around your sharp stick? A stick you picked up off the ground would be sharper," Darbo muttered after seeing just how dull Rondo's spear was.

Rondo held up his spear and checked the tip, poking it with a claw before glaring at Darbo indignantly. "It is sharp enough. It is sharp enough to even scare a two-footer!"

"The only way you could kill a two-footer with that thing would be for him to die laughing," Darbo replied. He tapped the tip of Rondo's spear for emphasis.

Darbo had no real comeback to this. "I bet it would be sharp enough to go through you. I will have you know, Mr. Killjoy, that I have…"

That was when the sound of snapping twigs made both of them swing around, their petty dispute instantly forgotten as they faced the unknown with their spears outstretched.

"By the trees," Rondo confirmed in a whispered hiss as he moved to his left in order to match the direction that the disturbance appeared to be moving.

Darbo moved towards the trees in pursuit of the sound, preferring a more aggressive approach.

The underbrush continued to creak and jostle around as the unseen threat moved forward. As both hidden runners raised their spears it was Darbo that gave the warning.

"Halt!" Darbo called, "We found you." Anything else he was going to say was cut off when an exhausted hidden runner suddenly collapsed at his feet.

"Gone… all gone…"

The two hidden runners dropped their spears immediately to attend to the stricken female. Dried blood and gashes covered much of her left flank and the side of her face.

"My babies… my mate… everyone gone!"

"Who did this?" Rondo asked with a wavering voice. He found himself searching the trees for any sign of predators.

Trusting Rondo keep a lookout, Darbo moved to get a better look at the female's injuries. "You're going to need a healer," he said, noticing the extent of the injuries.

The female was silent and shaking. Maybe it was being overwhelmed by her journey and the sudden response, or maybe it was the injuries themselves taking their toll, but it was obvious that she needed serious help.

"Rondo, she needs a healer now," Darbo said, "I need you to..."

"They came… Questor and his pack… they took everything…" She then looked up at the two hidden runners with almost vacant eyes, "I don't know what to do…"

"Rondo, get a healer now," Darbo ordered.

Rondo could only stare at the scene mutely as the implications came flooding into his mind. If the entire Pack of the West Stream had been killed by Questor then that not only indicated an untold massacre, but a horrible blow to the Great Leader's allies, and a massive boon to Wrok.

He looked mutely at his acquaintance.

"Rondo!"

The hidden runner snapped back to the present. A doomed cause or not, there was someone who needed his help.

"On it!"

As his comrade sprinted into the distance, sending out alert calls along the way, Darbo could only consider the terrible news with a stoic sense of duty to his pack and his leader. But even he could not shake one horrifying thought from his mind. The only possibility for which any change in the grand order could be considered.

 _Has the Hand of Fate left the Great Leader?_

* * *

 **The next morning:**

Ungu's first thought upon waking was that Daddy's tail felt weird. Usually it was smooth and scaly, but for some reason on this occasion he apparently had forgotten to clean himself. There was a lot of soft grass and oddly feeling sticks stuck all over the gently wagging appendage.

Finally waking up enough to realize where she was, Ungu fell off the tail in startlement. _That is_ not _Daddy's tail. I can't believe I did that._

The sound of snoring greeted her ears as the massive green male's body continued to heave up and down with each breath. Meanwhile two smaller fuzzballs bounded along on his back. She didn't need to sniff them to know that those were Spike's two sons: Sniffer and Nibble.

"Oh, you're up. Don't mind them, Ungu, they could sleep through a swarming leaf-gobbler attack."

Ungu looked up at Breeze, nearly smiling at being around someone she recognized before cringing when she remembered the night before.

"Are you alright, dear?" Breeze asked with some concern as she gave her a sniff, "You and your brother had quite a lot of excitement last night."

"Um, am I in trouble?" Ungu asked, her body language suggesting she'd done something rather serious.

"Not at all," Breeze soothed softly as she cautiously gave the child a nuzzle, "You handled last night better than I would have at your age."

"But I didn't do what I was told to," Ungu replied, rather confused.

Breeze allowed herself to sit down as the sounds of the rest of her family finally waking up could be heard behind Ungu. She knew how Mender handled perceived embarrassment in front of others, and she wanted Ungu to be spared any more perceived incidents.

"You did fine. We all make mistakes in life, and part of growing up is to make sure that we learn from them. You are still here and… so is your brother." She added the last part with her tail twisted in the slightest hint of a smile.

"Gyors is okay?" Ungu asked excitedly, "Can I see him?"

Breeze nodded as her two sons suddenly arrived on the scene as well, bouncing up and down with the unrestrained excitement that Ungu tried to keep inside. "Hop on, little ones! Let's see what Gyors is up to this morning!"

Ungu didn't need any encouragement, but she did need a little help getting on Breeze's back as Nibble and Sniffer helped drag her onboard. That was when everything turned into a blur as Breeze lived up to her name.

"Momma's fast!" Sniffer affirmed as he saw Ungu's startled expression, "That's how she got her pack name."

"It's okay to dig your claws in. Momma doesn't mind!" Nibble affirmed as he held on for dear life. It seemed that both of the sons had experience with their mother's antics.

"Why are we going fast?" Ungu asked, now holding on as tightly as she could. _I felt safer on the flyer._

"And here we are!" Breeze affirmed as she began to slow to a trot. What had previously been a confusing blur of green and blue was now the more normal view of tall grass and a brilliant blue sky. Ungu barely had time to adjust when she was helped down by the two eager males.

"Look, there he is!"

"He is looking better than last night!"

Ungu looked out at the scene with more than a little disorientation and confusion before she regained her bearings. That was when she saw the larger forms of Mender and Ponder in the background while her brother walked around with his good eye closed, merely using his sniffer as if he were sniffing for ground fuzzies. The other children, however, were completely motionless until he identified one of them...

"Biter."

...and the child nodded before going to where several other kids had gathered.

"They're playing that sniffer game," Ungu said after a moment of confused staring at the kids playing, "I'm really bad at that game." She looked at the two boys with her before leading them to join the rest of the kids in the game. "Let's go."

In her rush to join the game Ungu did not notice the horrified expression that was now plastered on Breeze's face.

* * *

 _Okay, so who am I smelling?_ Gyors wondered as he continued to move through the tall grass, _I really hope my eye stops hurting. It's hard to focus on smells like this._

 _What used to be my eye,_ part of his mind corrected. It was taking everything he had to try to fight through the pain.

That was when he came across a very unique smell. It smelt raptory and femalely with an odd sort of me-smell, kind of like Mender but closer to his smell, the all-encompassing smell that every dinosaur had to identify themselves.

His feet worked themselves into a run. He didn't need extra time on this one.

"Oof."

 _Okay, maybe I should have taken a bit more time._ Gyors stepped away from the warm body he just collided into, gently shaking his head as he opened his remaining eye.

"Ungu!" he affirmed with a laugh, before cringing suddenly as a pained squeak left his mouth. He tried to cover his mouth but it was too late.

"You okay?" Ungu asked. She stood up to get a better look at her brother's injury.

Gyors looked at her with a slight frown. From her angle she could clearly sense his pain as the deep gouge across his eye's previous location could be seen. Only the sight of sap and some leaves blocked her view.

"I'm fine… but don't tell Mender. The leaves they make me feel funny and sleepy."

"Gyors..." Ungu really didn't like her brother to be in pain. She sighed. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Gyors nodded, though it was obvious to his sister and anyone else he was now struggling. Despite her being on the other side of the sibling hierarchy from her brother, it had to have been obvious to her that something had changed in a mere few moments. Had it been the crash?

"Whoa! Easy there, Gyors!"

He sighed as the sound of Ruby's voice echoed in his ears. He didn't have to take a sniff of the air to know that Mender was right behind her. Her voice was the next to register in his mind.

"Yep, looks like time for a pain leaf. Why didn't you tell us that the last one was wearing off?"

Ungu looked from Mender to Gyors and back, unsure of who to side with.

Gyors could only swallow as he struggled to maintain his composure as he turned to face the elders. The concerned looks of the other children looked out at him in a mixture of concern and pity. Two expressions that he never wanted to see. He was the eldest of the little ones of his pack and was responsible for putting on a brave face to the others.

And he was failing in that duy.

But the pain…

"Hey."

Suddenly the other children were out of view as Mender's massive body formed a protective shield from him and the eyes of the others. It was then that his aunt's soothing words echoed in his head despite being a whisper.

"I need you to be an honest biter with me, okay?"

Gyors could only nod as he allowed himself to shake. He could show weakness to family.

"How much pain do you feel right now? Compared to last night?"

Gyors looked down. "Why is it back? I felt good earlier and now… and now…"

He did not have a chance to finish as a sudden weight was placed right behind his jaw, causing his throat to open. Then, being powerless to stop his aunt, he could feel the terrible leaves enter the back of his throat. It only lasted a moment, but that was enough.

When he was finally released he could only thrash in disgust as the horrible taste seemed to permeate through every pore of his body. It was as if the taste was insufficient in itself and began to overwhelm all of his other senses. It was only several moments later that he registered that he was sobbing and that Mender's voice appeared to be receding in his mind.

"You're a brave biter, Gyors… you're a brave biter…"

* * *

 _Oh, so that's why he doesn't like those leaves..._ Ungu thought, now staring at her brother's nearly passed out form. He was lying down and trying to sit up, but he seemed rather out of it.

"L-leaves suck," Gyors muttered as if that summarized the entire situation.

Mender gave him a little nod. "I know. I have had them before, but they keep the pain away. You will only need them for a few days, but a little one like you don't need to battle through this alone."

It was then that she nodded at Ungu as well and moved out of the way so that the other children could see. It turned out that the entire group of children were right behind Mender the entire time, concern plastered on all of their faces.

Ungu shifted so that she was at least slightly between her brother and the others, feeling more than a bit protective.

"A pack stands to its own, and as long as you are here they are your pack as well." Ruby looked at her own children before again focusing on Gyors. "There is no shame in showing pain. There is only shame in letting the pain control you."

Ungu was just a bit unnerved at the approach of two of the kids Gyors had been playing with. They had the same feathers as the other younglings, with one having brown feathers and a bright red crest, while the other had the same coloration as a female fastrunner. She hadn't been introduced to any of them, and they were both notably bigger than her. It didn't help that she was already the smallest of her siblings.

"T-that's Biter," her brother's somewhat distorted voice noted, "And this is Swipe. Swipe and B-Biter, this is my sister, Ungu."

The one identified as Biter gave a polite nod to Ungu before looking at Gyors and giving a playful smirk. "Those things messed me up when Mommy gave me those for my tail. I'm surprised you even know your name right now."

Swipe, as her namesake indicated, gave a playful swipe at her brother's head. "I remind him of mine sometimes." She then dodged a playful bite at her tail. "And he does too."

"Yeah, but do you remember all of Haven's bunch?" A smirking orange little biter jumped in front of the duo. "There are five of those ankle-biters."

Biter rolled his eyes. "Pounce… you of all biters have no right to call them ankle-biters after the stunt that you pulled last time."

"The orange one is P-Pounce… he's kind of funny…"

Ungu could only watch as a spontaneous sparring match broke out. As far as she could tell, it started with Biter and Pounce before quickly involving many of the others. "Is this normal?" she asked her brother, though she knew he wouldn't know firsthand.

Gyors laughed lightly as a bit of drool left his mouth. "In this pack, yeah."

It did not take long before Ruby lightly licked the drool from the stricken biter's mouth and carefully placed him on her back before turning towards Ungu with a permission-seeking expression. "Shall I introduce you to the others while my children are being ankle-biters?"

"Am not!" came two shouts before they were overtaken by what Ungu assumed was "Haven's bunch", a group of children almost as numerous as her family.

Ungu nodded in answer to Ruby's question while struggling not to laugh at the situation Biter and Swipe had gotten themselves into. As she was carried onto the massive rose-colored Utahraptor's back she could see that her brother was already calming as the leaves took effect. If he could be calm in this situation then so could she.

* * *

Mender watched the scene with some relief as she prepared to follow her niece and nephew on their introductory tour. Despite the odds everything was looking like that Gyors would recover from his wound, though the loss of vision on that side could not be remedied even with her knowledge and skill. His only recourse would be to develop his other senses.

And as far as she was concerned this was her personal duty.

"Mender."

Reluctantly she stopped her forward motion as Ruby continued forward pointing out children as she went. All around her feet the melee continued as little flyers began to dive bomb the hapless fastbiters. Despite the horrors they had seen the night before, or perhaps because of them, they wanted to play as if the opportunity had not been there for them before.

Mender turned around. "Yes, Cynnil?"

The hidden runner looked grim, and for a moment Mender was concerned that she had missed something. Did she miss a warning sign with Gyors? Was he okay? In a panic she quickly looked back.

"It isn't about that; he's fine," Cynnil clarified quickly, "Seeker wants to see us."

"If it's about what I think it is, I'd really rather not," Mender replied, her tone suggesting that a direct order from Cynnil might not be enough to compel her attendance.

The hidden runner sighed, her green feathers being the only thing moving on her complexion due to the brisk wind. Her brilliant eyes seemed to stare at everything and nothing in particular all at once.

"I'd rather not as well, but unlike you I don't really have a choice. I need to know whatever they can find for the good of my people and _my_ pack."

Cynnil looked at the two children in the distance as they examined the mayhem below them from the relative safety of Ruby's back. "How is he doing?"

"He's doing as well as to be expected," Mender said, "Better, really. I'd still be curled up somewhere."

Cynnil nodded. "Hard as it sounds the rough part is yet to come… but he will find his path. It just cannot be the same path that he was on. Not anymore."

"He's still young. He can find another path."

"But will Verant understand that? And will Gyors?" Cynnil's eyes were focused straight on her, "Gyors was the largest was he not?" The implications were clear. Could either father or son accept that their paths had now been separated by this cruel turn of events?

"Verant understood my path was different than his or Staza's," Mender replied, "I don't see how this is all that different..." she tapped her sniffer, "from this." She gestured in Gyors's direction.

"The difference is that Gyors still sees himself as being a miniature Verant; just look at how he handled his pain earlier. You always had a unique place, Mender." Cynnil sighed. "In any case… I know of no one better to help Gyors through this."

"Well, if Gyors wants to keep imitating Verant he should be fine. I wasn't the only one that had to adapt to something abnormal, you know."

"Just as long as he does not imitate the need to keep things to himself," Cynnil cautioned before suddenly changing tone, "I… do have a request of you."

"What?" Mender replied skeptically, cautious but not willing to outright refuse without knowing what she was refusing.

"The other flyer has not arrived yet which all but confirms what the rainbowfaces told the pack, but there is the tricky situation of what to do with the other two flyers."

"What are you suggesting?" Mender snapped, now almost hostile. She did not like what Cynnil seemed to be implying.

Cynnil was taken back by her hostility before realizing the implication. "No, not that! But they do need to know the true cost of the other side. Of what the other flyer willingly served. Would you mind introducing them to Gyors?"

"I can do that," Mender replied, "as long as he wants to."

Cynnil looked away for a moment, an ashamed look on her face. It was a hint of something that Mender had not seen since they had first met several years prior.

"You could just ask for the information afterward, you know," Mender said, trying to give her friend a way out of her rather unpleasant task.

Cynnil shook her head sadly. "The only two things that a hidden runner cannot hide from are Fate and the consequences of their decisions. Sometimes I wonder which I fear more." She looked at Mender directly. "Is there anything that you want me to say to the flyer? I highly doubt the pack will give him another chance."

"I would ask why he thought working with hidden runners was a good idea when he apparently doesn't like the whole alliance thing, but if he shows up at all he's probably too stupid to have thought that deeply about it."

Cynnil nodded as she began to walk away, her shoulder's slumped as if the weight of the world were on her shoulders. "It will be asked. Though I think my question will cover all of that."

Mender tilted her head. "What question is that?"

Cynnil did not turn around. "A simple one: why?"

* * *

 _Damn, this shit is not worth my time! Send a message here, send a message there. I will be glad when we flyers can simply be flyers again, not messengers for the land-stumblers._

The flyer nearly cooed when he saw the tell-tale high hill that designated he was within the territory of Seeker's pack. He quickly gave the proper call.

 _Two loud shrieks and two low tones… that ensures that they don't eat your bones…_

Hano snorted. He did have to admit that at least this pack did have a way with words.

The same call then echoed from above him as another flyer dove in front of him, before edging to his left. It was a clear invitation to follow and land.

 _Finally! Let's get this over with._

He carefully rode the thermal rising above Lookout Hill, gaining altitude as he prepared to coast to wherever the flyer directed. Looking down he could see the entire territory. The large stream, the large hill, the massive region of wavy grass, followed by the stream entering a darkened swamp. What caught his attention in the otherwise normal sights, however, were his two fellow messenger flyers walking awkwardly beside a purple fastbiter. What were they doing here?

"They here on other mission. They get stuck with sending messages from young ones."

Hano could barely hear the flyer guiding him over the wind, but his gestures were clear enough. With a strong shift to the west, Petrie descended into a controlled spiral down to where several other dinosaurs and another adult flyer were present.

 _Huh? The entire pack wants to hear cryptic rainbowface shit? Well, their loss then._

He felt the tug of the air against his wings gradually decrease as he slowed his speed and descended towards the apparent landing space. When he did land it was with a resounding thud.

"Greetings, Hano. We have been expecting you."

The flyer looked up at the words of the fastbiter. The brown predator was poised comfortably with two fastbiters on each side of him. An orange fastbiter with stripes was joined by another feathered that he quickly identified as Cera. On the other side stood two green fastbiters, only one of which he could identify as the former swimmer. With Petrie and Soar behind him, and a massive purple sharptooth towering behind the fastbiters, it was both a stifling and awe-inspiring sight.

In the display of power before him, Hano nearly lost his cool.

"I… um… Chronos and Logos have given me a message, sir."

In a deliberate slowness that was both maddening and confusing, the brown fastbiter appeared to tap his claws awkwardly against the ground, making a distracting series of clicks before he finally answered. "Okay, let's hear it then."

 _I don't remember these biters being this messed up. Maybe they ate some bad meat or something?_

Not wasting much time, however, he carefully repeated his message.

"The stream drowns our thoughts in sorrow, but are all the petals still in the stream?" He spoke in a neutral monotone, not allowing for his message to take on any hint of his own emotions. "Ask the violet how the Verant fares. Ask the look-out what the Hano hears. If they both hear the same then have someone end the game."

He finished the message with the same calm detachment he saved for his usual messages. But the complete and utter silence that remained over the pack began to unsettle him. The staring without any words almost reminded him of a predator sizing up his prey.

 _These fuzz-balls have eaten lately, haven't they?_

"An interesting message," Littlefoot finally said, "Do you know what it means?"

Hano shrugged carefully with his wings. "No. The rainbowfaces sometimes say things oddly, but I can only say what they say."

Littlefoot did not blink. "Just like a true and honest messenger."

Hano did not know what to say to that. The fastbiter's expression did not shift to indicate any meaning, hidden or overt. The only constant was the unblinking eyes.

"Not all petals are in the stream, as we have found out, but we are still here," Littlefoot continued with his piercing eyes focused into the flyer's, "The Violet tells us that Verant has been better, but his children have been saved.. And as for the look out, I think you can help out with that."

Silence reigned for several moments as the creepy unblinking gaze of the five fastbiters did not change. The temperature of the area seemed to cool suddenly as Hano realized that he would be unable to take off in time without inviting an attack. But why was this…

"It was wise for you not to talk to Wrok yourself and to use a messenger, but do you know the funny thing about fake-messengers?"

Hano's blood went cold; it was time to flee. Placing as much force into his muscles as he could he prepared for a speedy takeoff. That was when his wings exploded into a wildfire of pain. He had forgotten about the flyers at his sides.

"You will not move or my mate will eat your eyes."

Hano struggled against the sharp talons only for an instant before his survival instincts forced him into a nearly catatonic state. There was no way to escape now.

The female flyer and the fastbiters were now silent. It was left to Petrie to tell Hano the secret.

"We have our 'special listeners' too. And they hear what you said to our enemy."

Hano thrashed around more desperately now as sudden movement could be heard all around him. Words in sharptooth that he could barely understand in his pain-hazed mind. But the words from Petrie were crystal clear.

"You die today. You decide how quick."

Hano could only scream. "I will do whatever you want! You want names? I can give you names!" He looked at the various predators. "No more lies! I promise!"

The flyer closed his eyes, awaiting the end. That was when he felt someone sniffing at his wings, before licking at them. His own fearful shriek echoed in his ears before a sharp slap to his beak silenced him.

"Who else in the valley is working for Wrok?"

Hano reluctantly opened his eyes as a hidden runner stared at him with something between disinterest and a glare. It was the same creepy expression he sometimes saw from the maddening rainbowfaces. Like he was something to be studied.

But specimen or not if it was a chance to live…

"I only know the one that creepy-eyes tells me to talk to!" he choked out in a fearful screech.

"Creepy-eyes?" the hidden runner prompted.

"Wrok," Hano clarified in a panic, "He looks through you like you're not even there."

The hidden runner watched him for a moment without saying a word. For a moment Hano wondered if he had said something wrong.

That was when he felt a talon on his throat.

"I swear I'm telling the…"

"He is not lying…" The talon left Hano's throat suddenly as the hidden runner's calm voice cut through him like a claw. "Not yet, anyway…"

Hano could only whimper. He had no options now.

"Who are your contacts in the valley?"

Hano swallowed hard as he looked up at the hidden runner. "If I tell you will you let me go?"

Cynnil tilted her head. "You almost sound like you don't trust hidden runners."

Hano gritted his beak. "Hidden runners can say one thing and mean another."

Cynnil shrugged. "You are a flyer who has broken his promise to his valley and agreed to help a monster in the Mysterious Beyond, but yet you accuse me of dishonesty?"

The talon on his throat was back again before Cynnil waved it off.

"Let me guess? The ends justify the means? It's okay to work with Wrok because in the end it will mean each herd gets to do their own thing? This is only a temporary necessity?" She stopped a short distance from his eyes. "Am I getting close?"

The flyer merely closed his eyes before nodding.

"Wrok will use you like he uses everything else, Hano. Do you honestly think he is going to want any traitors to be left around once he is done using them? If one betrays once then they can betray again…"

Hano tried to control his breathing. Could the hidden runner be right? Surely the others in the valley who were in on righting things would protect him… after all, as soon as the old elders who agreed to this sacrilege were mustered out the opening would be open for them as the new leaders. And they would need some loyal flyers to replace Volant and the other sharptooth-lovers…

...but he couldn't enjoy any of that if he were dead. After all… no one had to know that he gave up his contact in the valley… he highly doubted that he was very high up in the conspiracy anyway.

"Alright, eat his eyes."

Hano didn't waste any time.

"I will tell you everything! Just promise that you will let me live!"

Cynnil tilted her head before looking over at Littlefoot. After giving something that sounded like a few clicks and a growl, she again looked into Hano's eyes.

"Hano, I promise that if you tell us everything then your lying beak will be back in the valley within the day."

Hano allowed himself to breath a sigh of relief. There was hope yet.

* * *

 **The Great Valley later that day:**

"Thank you for letting us know, Fratus. And just so you know, don't let any part of this leave this conversation."

The flyer nodded profusely as Veer looked like he wanted to be anywhere else at the moment. "We know, Mr. Threehorn, sir. Your daughter made that quite clear."

"Of course she did," Topps muttered to himself, sounding rather proud.

Bron could notice the distress of the flyers, however, and decided not to prolong their misery. "Thank you both for this report. I know if must have been very unpleasant for you both. I think that you have more than earned a few days to relax."

Veer and Fratus both looked at one another with relieved expressions before nodding their agreement with Bron's declaration. Both wasted no time before going airborne.

That was when Fratus remembered the other part of his mission and quickly landed on the ground with a thud, dropping his cargo from his talons.

"Sorry, sir. There was one more thing." He gestured at the odd-shaped package of leaves and vines with his beak. "The fastbi… Your children wanted you to have this."

Volant landed in front of the package with a curious expression. "Did they say what it is?"

Topps gruffly added, "I'm assuming they haven't taken to eating treestars again."

Fratus shook his head. "We have no idea what it is, sir. They simply told us that it was only for your eyes and the eyes of the name that we gave you."

Chronos and Logos, who had been watching the proceedings from afar like flyers from afar, quickly descended towards the package. It was then that Bron decided to end the flyers' discomfort.

"Dismissed. Thank you both."

The two flyers then took off a second time, leaving a deeply troubled meeting of the valley elders behind them.

"So, are we going to go after the traitor or not?" Topps asked, wanting to deal with the problem immediately.

"And let the others possibly get away? For all we know the name we got could just be a relay." Chronos chided.

"A re-what?" Volant asked. Being confused by the rainbowfaces' terminology was not an uncommon occurrence.

"What my mate is saying," Logos clarified, "Is that maybe the other traitors are using this domehead as a go-between. He might not even see the others."

"How can he be a go-between and not even see the others?" Bron asked.

Chronos sighed. "Let's just say that we have seen weirder things. For all we know he could be ordered to simply say his information into a cave at night. We cannot assume that by threatening this hapless idiot that he will tell us anything."

"Who said I was going to _threaten_?" Topps grumbled to himself, rather frustrated by what was increasingly appearing to be a lack of action.

"No," Logos clarified as she caught her mate's look, "But if we watch him closely then maybe we can track the others… and with them the conspiracy."

Bron quickly interrupted before Topps could protest. "Better to go after them all then only getting one."

Volant nodded. "And we know of at least two loyal flyers who they might see as potential replacements for Hano… maybe it is time for us to have some fake-messengers of our own?"

Logos looked at the threehorn with a knowing expression. "We need to make sure that we get this right. The last thing we need is for everyone in the valley to suspect everyone else. For all we know that might be what Wrok wants."

"I guess you're right," Topps replied as a flash of his nephew, Castor, appeared in his mind. The memory of the odd incident with the domehead played out in his mind even as they confronted a much more pressing concern here. It was only when he realized that his mind was going in circles that he allowed himself to let out a sigh. _Even I'm being paranoid._

"So, what do you think they sent us?" Topps asked, quickly trying to change the subject.

Both Chronos and Logos quickly looked at the others as if asking for permission before Bron gave an amused snort as a sign of consent. The two rainbowfaces were curious to a fault and were barely hiding their suspense before Logos began to quickly undo the vines. The next few seconds were a flurry of movement as leaves began to be thrown everywhere as the package was opened.

But then the rainbowfaces suddenly stopped as their forms went rigid.

"So, what was it?" Topps asked as he moved to see for himself.

The rainbowfaces still did not move. Topps was about to ask again when Bron interrupted.

"Logos, what is it?"

It was only then that Logos turned around with deliberate slowness and removed the last giant leaf to reveal what she held in the remnants of the package.

A flyer's beak.

Cynnil was never one to lie.

* * *

 **Thanks for the reviews, everyone! The summer semester has continued to suck my time from me like a temporal vampire, but the next chapter is finally here. The intrigue that has been building for awhile, but now it is coming to a head after first blood has been shed. As always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the latest developments.**

 **bryan mccloud** : Now that you mention it there is room for a one-shot with the rainbowfaces as their interactions with others often results in unintentional humor. Hmmm... I might need to explore that idea for a bit.

 **DevoutRelic** : Thank you very much for the review. The children are indeed becoming more of a focus as the main political machinations have been established in the story, though the adults (and Mender, Orchid, and their pack) will remain the primary focus. It can be challenging to incorporate so many characters, but as we shall find out they will all have a role to play in what comes next. As for the dialogue-heaviness, I must respectfully disagree with part of your assessment. The Seven Hunters trilogy has always been dialogue-heavy at certain points in the narrative, most notably in the scenes involving family, and if such dialogue is contributing to the development of the characters or the advancement of the plot then that is not necessarily a bad thing. There is a critical difference between having conversations espousing the relationships of the characters and plot developments, and entirely frivolous conversation. And, as the plots and counter-plots develop in this story, such dialogue will become even more important. The dialogue is indeed "telling" things as opposed to "showing" them but as one of the major aspects of this story is that each character interprets words differently and that no one quite knows whose words to trust, both the characters and the readers will have to be cautious in whose dialogue they put their trust in.

 **gordhanx** : Yep, I had great fun with the trapping scene. It was a nice chance for Nahoda to show off some of his would-be parenting skills, even if the fastrunner can't help being a little bit of a panicky klutz. d-; As for Tracker and Dodger, they have the oddest sort of luck. Bad enough to suffer, but good enough to survive with only a few scars. To Dodger that is the only luck he knows. On second thought maybe Historian1912 and I are being jerks to our characters. d-; I hope that you enjoy the latest installment.

 **Keijo6** : Thank you for the kind words and the review. (: To answer your question, the roleplay is still going on to this day. Additionally we are revising about 30,000 words or so of roleplay content (the 'past' story) which is part of the reason why the new chapters are taking a bit longer than before. The overall outlining for the combined story (past and present) has been revised and reworked for several weeks, though the general flow of the story has been set for some time.

I do enjoy this story and the collaboration with Historian1912 very much, but it should certainly be considered a long-term project at this point. Though hopefully it should be finished by the time that I am old enough to collect Social Security. d-;

 **Have a good week, everyone! Historian1912 and I look forward to your thoughts and feedback. (:**


	24. Chapter 20: First do no harm

**v**

 **Chapter 20: First do no harm**

 **"An unexpected development from the Battle for the Valley and its unintended cultural contamination is the proliferation of primitive medicine in what the locals call the Mysterious Beyond. With the preexisting vocation of "flyer messenger" serving as a basis for effective long-range communication, both packs and herds have discovered the benefits of having both flyers and healers among their ranks, both in terms of healing their own members and also in alliance building. The resulting proliferation of alliances, even between groups with diametrically opposed diets in rare cases, has also led to a rise in antagonism between what had been isolated herds and packs. Now the vocation of flyer messenger has been joined with other titles such as that of assassin and spy. An ironic side effect of this increase in medical knowledge might very well be an increase in warfare on a scale never before seen on this planet.**

 **As authorized by the message you left on the Archiver Stones, we have taken actions to safeguard the Consortium research team on this planet. Though we cannot deny that the actions taken to safeguard our family may have secondary effects on the budding societies in this region. We can only promise that these secondary effects will be kept to an acceptable minimum."**

 **~Commander Logos, Confidential Report on the Hidden Runner Civil Conflict**

* * *

It was times like this that Greenshade hated her job.

The sweet yet stagnant smell of death lingered in the air as she and her counterpart carefully navigated the overgrown forest. There was a special kind of terror in smelling the death scent of your own kind. Not seeing the corpses was almost as horrifying as not seeing what had _caused_ those corpses. Every part of her self-respect was being used to fight the unmistakable calling of her instincts.

 _What are you doing? Run!_

Greenshade gave two shakes of her tail and gave a cutting gesture at her neck. _Two dead bodies_. This was then followed by two taps on her beak. _Less than ten body-lengths away_.

The other hidden runner froze, straining to detect any hint that whatever killed the other two hidden runners was still in the area. "I don't smell anyone else," he finally said.

Greenshade clicked her beak together in annoyance, but realized that her displeasure was misplaced. They had no indication that they were still under threat, and the smell of death was now at least a few days old.

"Aye," she affirmed as she reluctantly moved ahead through the thick underbrush in her search for the decomposing bodies, "We need to check to make sure, but I think we know what happened to the last scouting party."

"I guess we now know what happened to Isca and Sepheo."

Greenshade stopped as she peered through a large bush. It was not lost on her counterpart that her entire composure fell.

"We are scouts, Bluntbeak; to our leaders we have no name when we are on the job." She gestured ahead grimly. "Sepheo has completed his last run."

"My cousin Isca has completed his last duty," Bluntbeak said a few moments later, having spotted the other body.

After remaining silent for a while, Bluntbeak couldn't help but live up to his name. "Can you tell what killed them?"

Greenshade shook her head. "For the love of Fate, Bluntbeak! Can you give me a moment?" She took a deep calming breath as she examined the body carefully, mouthing an apology to the dead as she turned the corpse over. "He was your cousin; I have no idea how you can stay so calm."

"We have a job to do now. I can get angry later," Bluntbeak replied.

Greenshade nodded reluctantly as she continued her task. Sometimes her counterpart lived up to his name a bit too well, but she couldn't deny that he was the best second that she could ask for in a mission. That was when something caught her eye.

The head dangled without any resistance. Sepheo's neck had been crushed in a single blow.

She quickly ran over to the other hidden runner to make the same determination. With Isca as well the beast had used the same strategy without any sign of struggle. Each had been killed within a few body lengths of one another without detecting the threat.

Greenshade looked up at her friend. "We need to get out of here. Now."

* * *

 **Great Valley:**

" **Though restricted in its habitat by its lack of plumage the yellowbelly has been known to wander into the Great Valley from time to time. Further research is needed to determine how they are able to survive with few natural defenses against predators."**

Datum tapped the rock twice and then sat on the ground with a contented sigh. His parents wanted them to keep making reports for them to check when they returned from their mission to the hidden runner lands. Though he still found the formal speak to be annoying, he did get some satisfaction at having completed the day's work.

Though that satisfaction was short lived as worry, no longer restrained by his focus, was now able to invade his mind.

"They will be okay, you know? They have done this before."

The rainbowface looked at his sister with an annoyed expression as he rubbed his beak, "Yes, and I seem to remember the last trip not going so well. You can ask Charger about that."

He knew that he had gone too far as he looked away, but he couldn't help it. Nothing good had come from the last trip, and the fact that they were only being helped by flyers this time did not fill him with confidence.

 **Bonk!**

"Hey!"

He rubbed his head as he tried to avoid his sister's second attempt at throwing pebbles. As a result he only got a glancing blow the second time. Nonetheless this earned a reaction from him.

"That hurt!"

Much to his dissatisfaction, however, this earned him a smirk from his sister. "Well, if that hurt you then imagine how much a flyer dropping it on your head would do. Mom and Dad have those to protect them in the air, and some of their bellydragger friends to help them on the stream.

Datum continued to rub his head, but he couldn't help but nod in acknowledgement of his sister's message. With fewer larger dinosaurs to protect, his parents could swiftly make their journey and use some of their 'hidden resources' as Mom always put it. But something didn't sit right with him.

"But this shouldn't be necessary!"

His sister jumped back as he threw the second pebble across the stream.

"Why can't they have some flyers do this? Or anyone else? Why does it always have to be them to do the…" he paused, finally getting ahold of himself.

But his sister could already guess what he was going to say.

"...to do the valley's dirty work? Why can't it be someone more expendable?"

Datum stopped cold, looking at his sister. "Sis, you know that I don't mean that."

Axiom glared at him. "You know what Mom and Dad say about that way of thinking. That is how a Redclaw would think, not how a Cadet thinks."

Datum groaned. "For once I just want to think how a rainbowface thinks. A report to people I have never met is one thing, but can't I at least care that my Mom and Dad might be in danger?"

His sister stared at him a long moment, but eventually her facade fell as well. Duty or not, she could not hide the fact that the same fears were present in her as well.

"Hey, I'm scared too," she finally admitted, "But what can we do about it?"

Datum huffed. "Not a darn thing. That's the problem."

"What can you do about what?"

Both rainbowfaces bolted in a cascade of rainbow-colored snouts and blue plumage into the bushes at the unexpected question. It was only when they heard Charger's amused snort that they came out of the bushes with indignant looks, hands firmly planted on their hips.

"Nothing that an arrogant threehorn can help with!" Axiom finally responded, earning an even greater laugh from their threehorn counterpart.

"Well good luck finding a humble one!" Charger boasted, "The gang is getting ready to play Sharptooth Escape. Are you two ready? Or do you need to work on your creepy rainbowface stuff first?"

Datum gave his sister a look. It was a look that she immediately identified as she gave him a death glare. He pretended to relent, even though he had no intention of asking this of the gang in the first place.

Their last adventure had been more than enough. Charger's one eye was a testament to that.

"We're almost done, Charger. Tell the others we will be there in a moment."

The small threehorn gave both rainbowfaces an inquisitive look before he finally charged off with a shake of the head. He had been around the two enough to know that acting weird was something they simply would never grow out of.

"Crazy rainbowfaces! They're as crazy as a yellowbelly hunting a belly slider!"

Little did he know that his nonsensical insult was caught by both of their ears

Both brother and sister blinked before sharing a look. Did yellowbellies actually hunt belly sliders? Maybe Charger knew more than he was letting on?

Within moments both rainbowfaces were chasing after the threehorn. Neither of them knowing that this was exactly the reason why their reports had to be okayed by them first. After all, yellowbellies did not hunt belly sliders.

But some predators did...

* * *

 **Seeker's territory:**

" _Aunt Mender! Look what we found!"_

" _What did you find, Ungu?" Mender asked. She walked over where Ungu was staring downwards intently._

 _With a slight strut, the small fastbiter leaned down and, with a powerful shake of her jaws, quickly perform a killing blow on whatever she had found. That was when Mender noticed that Ungu was giving a killing shake to something's tail…_

" _Wait, sis!"_

 _In an instant Gyors had placed his foot on the hole in which the reptile resided and proceeded to grab it by the tail, and spoke through his bite._

" _Cut-mm-it-when-it-half-up!"_

 _Without warning he proceeded to walk backwards, sending the tail region of a rather upset snake into an absolute frenzy, its body circling back and forth as it was forcibly extricated by the youngling's steady movement. It was when the snake was about halfway out of the hole that Ungu struck._

 _In the end Gyors was left with a limp half in his jaws, while the remainder of their catch fluttered in a frenzied spasm in the ground below, before finally coming out of the hole entirely, its jaws striking at nothing._

 _Mender had already placed her niece and nephew behind her._

 _Ungu tilted her head, confused for a moment. Then, without the slightest hint of irony, she looked at her aunt with excitement. "We caught a belly slider!"_

" _Good find, but, next time, leave it alone," Mender said, trying not to sound too scolding. After all, with Gyors not being that used to relying so much on his sniffer, this was quite an accomplishment._

 _Gyors began to speak, "It...mmmm... did not…"_

 _He spat out the dangling snake that had occupied his mouth._

" _It didn't make much noise, but I smelled something and then Ungu felt something moving in the ground underneath her feet."_

" _It kind of tickled," she clarified._

" _And you didn't bother to tell anyone before you went hunting it?" Mender asked. Even if she were just looking for ground fuzzies, Verant had expected her to let him know what she was doing in case something went wrong._

 _It was only then that Ugnu looked concerned. "We… um… well we decided to see what it was… and um…"_

" _I didn't figure it out until Ungu began to drag it up," Gyors clarified, "Um… it's only the head end that has the nasty stuff, right?"_

" _Yes, but it's attached to the rest of the scaley slider," Mender replied, "It's not something you want to hunt. They're not very big, and they could kill you if they bite you."_

 _Ungu looked chastised for a moment, before quickly reverting to excitement in the way that only a child could. "So since we already killed this one, does that mean we can eat the not-head parts?"_

" _Hey, Veer, remember that time that you got that one belly slider?"_

" _Don't remind me, beak-for-brains! My left wing ached for days after that."_

" _We know; that is why you always veered to the left side!"_

 _The children were suddenly alerted to the presence of the two flyers as Veer tried to give his counterpart a playful snap. They had been so engrossed with the snake they had neglected to consider their immediate surroundings._

 _Not that that would stop them from taking a closer look._

" _Are you Aunt Mender's friends?"_

 _Mender was nearly halfway up the tree as the flyers made a panicked exit from their perch. As much as the flyers' presence had surprised the kids, the kids suddenly sprinting up the tree and talking to them from a wing's-distance away was something else entirely._

 _Both flyers landed on the ground some distance away, before looking back at the two fastbiters and their adult guardian with bemused expressions. "Holy spiketail shits! Where did you guys come from?"_

" _Want to rephrase that?" Mender asked irritatedly._

 _Gyors carefully climbed down the tree and landed on the ground, being mindful of Mender's warning about not re-injuring the eye, as his sister dismounted the tree behind him._

" _Um… we climbed?" he offered finally._

 _Fratus opened his mouth to speak when a certain orange fastbiter spoke from behind them._

" _If he were a snake then he would have bitten ya!"_

 _As Mender saw the two flyers scatter into the wind once more, and a triumphant Taunt tail-smile from behind their departing form, she couldn't help but sigh._

 _How did Verant keep his sanity?_

Chomper's voice suddenly cut through Mender's daydreaming as he walked over to where the rest of the pack had gathered. "Well I finally got the kids occupied with something, so I think we can begin the meeting now."

"Does it involve anything I should be worried about?" Mender asked, pretty sure that doing anything other than putting all of the kids in a giant hole could still end in chaos.

"Breeze and Soar are keeping watch over the pack's little shits, so don't worry," Chomper yawned in a display that would have made any leaf-eater descend into a panic, "I'm sure she can keep a watch over them while we talk here."

"Kind of like how we always stayed put when our parents were in a Great Valley Meeting?" Cera mocked.

Littlefoot rolled his eyes. "That is why we will keep this brief. Though we could send another one of us over to keep watch over the kids," upon seeing Taunt mockingly smile Littlefoot added, "Someone who won't make things worse."

It was then that Ducky sat beside Mender, an exhausted look in her eyes, as Leap nodded at her and quickly left to help watch over the pack's children. "Well, I guess we can get started then. We need to help get the _other_ children home."

Littlefoot nodded. "Indeed. Our allies still bleed and yet the enemy is still outside. We need to get them here and assist them before we can do what our alliance demands."

"So when are we going?" Mender asked, almost impatient to do anything to help the rest of her family.

Normally such an outburst of presumptuousness would have invited accusations of insubordination, but in this case there was no real disagreement on the proper course of action.

Cera was the first to speak. "I say we send a delegation tomorrow. That way we can prepare, but we still aren't wasting time."

"We have already waited awhile in order to help the kids, so we should not wait awhile longer," Ruby agreed.

"Do we even need to vote on it?" Littlefoot asked.

He waited for a brief moment as no one said a word or raised an objection. Everyone looked at one another. The decision of the pack was obvious.

"Well vote settled. When we leave?" Petrie asked from above.

"I can go now if someone comes with me," Mender offered. There were still some things her smell-blindness made difficult for her. Navigation was one of them.

"We need to decide on who stays and who goes first," Littlefoot declared as he looked back and forth at his packmates and their guests, "I know that look. And I get it, trust me, I get it. But many of us need to stay here to guard the territory. We don't want to give Wrok a chance to make a move on our lands."

"If he has spy flyers then he may also have killer flyers," Ruby added, "So either Soar or Spotter needs to stay."

"And we need a few chasers, and we need the muscle," Taunt said, pointing at Chomper's massive bulk behind the pack circle, "So how many are we talking about for the mission?"

Littlefoot pondered this for a moment. "We need some healers here, but no more than one or two… but we need as many as possible for the mission…"

Mender was listening intently, not watching what was going on around her. She was surprised to have Cynnil walk in front of where she was sitting, having not realized she was even that close.

"My pack can go."

 _Not that I disagree, Cynnil, but a little warning would be nice,_ Mender thought.

The brown fastbiter appeared to stare at the hidden runner for several moments, even though only a brief second went by. His eyes looked as conflicted as they were unreadable.

"What you do with your pack is of course your right, but we are dealing with hidden runner conflicts here. And if I get a message from Ignis then I know of no one I would like more to assist me in carving through the hidden runner speak."

Cynnil paused for a moment, before bowing politely and stepping back to just behind Mender. It was an unspoken agreement to Littlefoot's proposal.

"I can go as a healer," Ducky affirmed, "Leap is good with the kids, but not so good with healing leaves."

"And I can also help with the kids," Breeze added before seeing Spike step up.

Spike nodded. "I can be one of the chasers."

"I guess the orange idiot is right; I need to stay here in order to watch over the territory," Chomper affirmed while giving Taunt what passed for a cheeky grin.

"Me and my mate can work over who does what, but me think she will want to go," Petrie clarified.

Littlefoot nodded. "So we have one healer so far, a chaser, and a flyer. I don't want to send out a team with fewer than three ground members. Not with threats about."

"One? Who said I was staying here?" Mender asked, almost indignant. To her, there was no question about whether she was going.

Littlefoot cocked his tail in an apologetic manner. "My apologies, Mender. I meant no offense." He gave Cynnil a brief glance who gave a nod. "So that's two. Does anyone else…"

"Ready for one more?"

Everyone in the pack suddenly turned their heads at the fastrunner's assertive voice. He stepped out of his place in the back of the circle and gave Cynnil a quick look of confirmation. As soon as he obtained her surprised nod he remained where he was.

"You sure, Orchid?" Mender asked, as surprised as anyone by Orchid's declaration.

The fastrunner nodded. "You agreed to take me in instead of allowing me to go off on my own. Who would I be to deny my help to someone who desperately needs it?"

"Just stay close, alright?" Mender was glad Orchid wanted to help; she just wasn't sure how safe it was for him. "No one we're helping has met you yet, and I don't want an accident."

"Like what happened to me," Nahoda offered helpfully as he and Arial watched from behind Chomper.

"I don't think that was an accident so much as attempted lunch, dear," Arial playfully corrected as she continued to look at her brother with concern.

"Well thankfully someone stopped the attempt," Nahoda offered back, nuzzling her.

"Well…" Littlefoot began, seemingly unsure how to end the meeting, "I guess that is our group. Finder, you will be in charge on the ground, but follow Soar's lead if she gives instructions."

"Yes, sir," Spike affirmed, being mindful of his pack leader's restatement of the pack hierarchy. The insistence on listening to Soar was a deviation from the rankings, but not an unexpected one. After all, eyes in the sky could often see what ground dwellers could not.

Littlefoot sighed. "And we will need to explain this to the kids."

"...And make sure that they do not follow us," Ducky added.

"Let's face it: most of our defenses will be keeping the kids in our territory as much as keeping Wrok out of it," Taunt added with some amusement.

"They are so much like us," Cera deadpanned with no amusement.

"How did any of you survive your childhoods?" Mender asked, suppressing a laugh.

Littlefoot snorted. "We ask ourselves that all the time… but I think we all remember what it was like back then, and we should deal with our kids appropriately."

"Entertain them and then tell them?" Cera asked.

"Oh… someone is looking for an excuse to spar!" Taunt mocked.

"I owe you one for last time, dear!" Cera responded with mock venom, clearly indicating her plan.

Littlefoot gave Mender and Cynnil a little look. "They have got a mock battle thing going on for the kids… so if the kids want to see how things happen next they have to be here to see it."

Cera gave a little strut. "I let him win sometimes, just to keep it interesting for the little ones."

Mender shook her head. _I wonder what would happen if Taunt legitimately won. Now that would be something to see._

Littlefoot stepped forward into the center of the circle, signifying the end of the meeting.

"So it is decided then. Healers…"

He gestured towards Mender, Ducky, and Orchid.

"Prepare your plants for the mission. And combatants…"

As if on cure Cera chased after Taunt, effectively bringing the meeting to a close.

Mender immediately left to gather the things she needed. Almost immediately she noticed that Cynnil moved to follow her.

"How long do you think the pack will keep the kids occupied?"

"A couple of days if we're lucky," Mender replied to her pack leader, who was now walking alongside her.

Cynnil nodded. "Well, we have a flyer to help track them down in any case… but I think that a certain niece and nephew might need to be reminded about the issues of peer pressure."

"Just remind them that their parents will be here soon." Mender noticed Cynnil's skeptical look. "Well, it worked on me."

Little did either of them know that the kids already had a conversation in their future.

* * *

 **Splash!**

Gyors allowed the water to jolt his senses back into something resembling wakefulness. He absolutely hated the pain leaves, but he could not argue with Mender's demand to let her know if he felt too much pain. He would obey his aunt, but that didn't mean that he had to like it.

"Gyors?"

The little fastbiter spun around so quickly that he soon lost his footing. He ended up slamming his tail into the water, sending a torrent all over his sister.

"Um…" He tried to suppress a chuckle but failed miserably. "Sorry, sis!"

He focused on the soaking wet fastbiter as her surprised facial expression turned into one of annoyance. He couldn't have aimed his watery attack any better if he had tried.

His facial expression fell as the void in his vision mocked him. Without any meaningful depth perception he would not be able to aim for much of anything anymore. No playful splashes… no playful pounces… no leaping attacks in a hunt.

"You okay?" Ungu asked, concerned at her brother's fallen expression.

Gyors nodded as he stepped out of the water. "Just thinking about things now that the leaves have worn off."

"I'll get Aunt Mender." Ungu immediately turned to go and do just that.

"No, wait!" Gyors panicked. He did not want to be in the mind haze again.

"Do you want to keep hurting?" Ungu asked, unusually blunt. She didn't like her brother being in pain.

"I'm not hurting. Not yet," Gyors affirmed, "Last time the hurt came later. I was playing that smell game before that, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," Ungu replied, "Even with the pain leaves you still do better than me. Showoff."

Gyors allowed himself a slight smile as he gave his sister a playful nudge and pointed at his wound. "Well you have me beat here. So I guess we're even."

"So, what did you think of those flyers?" Ungu asked, intentionally changing the subject. Her brother's last statement had been a bit too close to home.

Gyors sighed. "They seemed nice enough. I think that I scared one of them, but I don't know why… he was huge!"

"Well, that flyer from here that visited us... What was his name... Spotter?" Ungu hated how much trouble she had remembering who everyone was. "He didn't like being on the ground around Daddy, and they're friends. I guess flyers just don't like being on the ground."

"Well their flying is their strength. Remember what Daddy says about strengths?"

Both of the younglings recited their father's saying from memory, "Everything has a strength and a flaw, knowing both can play into your claws."

"And a flyer can't smell good," Gyors noted from memory, not noticing his sister's flinch, "Maybe those flyers couldn't smell us and didn't know if we were angry or not?"

"Gyors..." Ungu shook her head in exasperation. "You don't need your sniffer to tell if someone's angry. How you talk and act makes it easy to tell."

Gyors took on a slight tail-smile as he ignored the beginnings of pain reentering his mind. "So what am I feeling right now?"

He intentionally made his entire body go slack, showing no emotion at all. He made his entire body a mask, only letting his smells do the talking.

Ungu nearly panicked for a moment before smirking. "Wet." She slapped her tail into the water hard enough to sting, soaking her unsuspecting sibling.

"Hey!" Gyors protested as he showered her in water by shaking the water off of his scaly body.

Ungu started to laugh but almost immediately choked on it. She froze, barely remembering to signal to her brother there was movement in the weeds in front of her.

Gyors went rigid in an instant, before quickly going to her side. The wind was blowing away from them, hiding the scents of their pursuers. It was an ambush.

That was when he focused on the rustling grass. It was being made by something small… something their size.

Something they could fight.

Gyors went into a crouch, knowing that any attempt at hiding would not work here as they had already been found. Their only option was to launch the attack and hope for the best. Giving a slight twitch of his left hand to his sister to charge on his command, he prepared to unleash his fury upon the hidden runner scum.

"Whoa! It's us, Gyors! Calm down!"

Ungu was surprised to see Biter appear, but she hid it behind a glare that made it clear that if her brother gave the order she'd rush him regardless of his placating gestures.

A flash of orange and black appeared beside Biter's diplomatic form, as did the unique form of the rose-colored youngling.

"Guys, that's not funny!" Gyors protested finally before shaking his head and sighing. The dull pain was now getting a bit stronger, and he knew that a pain leaf was in his future.

"Gyors can't see on that side, you jerks!" Ungu snapped almost before Gyors finished speaking.

The trio quickly lowered their tails in a shamed gesture. Pounce took a step back, whereas Swipe lowered her head in a submissive gesture. Only Biter maintained eye contact.

"We're sorry," he spoke for the entire small group, "We uh… we kind of sneak up on one another all the time. Dad says it helps us stay on alert."

"My dad said never to do that unless everyone knows you're playing a game first. If something's sneaking up on us, and we're not playing, we act as if it's dangerous until we know it's not," Gyors explained. Beside him, Ungu was trying to stifle a laugh, thinking of how bad her brother was at following that rule.

"Well…" Pounce raised his tail playfully. "Doing that kind of ruins the surprise."

"I really don't like surprises," Ungo said.

Gyors raised his hand to rub the skin above his now non-existent eye, before remembering what Mender had told him about removing the special leaves. "The last surprise I had wasn't really a fun one," Gyors deadpanned.

Ungu was about to ask her brother about whether his injury was bothering him again when she saw a fastbiter a bit beyond the newcomers. She tensed for a moment before realizing who it was.

"How are things, children?"

In a flurry of feathers and feet the trio of fastbiters hurled themselves into the air and, upon landing, scampered off into the weeds. It was only a few seconds later that three feathered heads peaked through the tall grass behind their guests.

Gyors couldn't help but get in the last word. "I see what you guys mean about surprises. This is quite fun."

"We're fine, ma'am," Ungu responded respectfully.

Pounce, Biter, and Swipe only know re-entered the scene as they half-sneaked to Gyors side, trying not to show their embarrassment at having been spooked by Breeze's arrival.

"Well at least everyone's legs seem to work," Breeze offered with some amusement, "In time maybe you three will decide to be pack chasers."

"Breeze!" all three protested in annoyance.

Ungu started a bit, surprised the other kids would address an adult simply by her name.

Breeze laughed at the response. "Anyway, children, I am here to talk to Ungu a bit. Would you care to lead Gyors to Lookout Hill? I think he might enjoy watching the sparring match."

"Sparring!" Swipe jumped excitedly.

"Who is it today?" Biter jumped and landed on Pounce before jumping off him again in a seemingly unconscious reaction.

"I bet it's Mom and Dad!" Pounce replied as he shook the dust off of his body and gave his friend a glare, "If it's not fight day then it is usually them that fight."

Breeze nodded. "Correct, Pounce. Stern Claw decided that our guests should see one of our pack's traditions… and also your Dad tied a fire leaf to her tail again."

Pounce laughed. "That's our Daddy!"

Gyors gave his sister a look that said it all. This pack is insane.

 _Sounds like the adults still like to act like they're kids,_ Ungu thought. She couldn't imagine her parents playing those kinds of pranks on each other. _Wait, why does Miz Breeze want to talk to me alone?_

Gyors was nearly knocked over as the other kids practically dragged him away. "Let's go, Gyors! You have got to see this!"

Gyors was momentarily disoriented before he caught the excitement of the other kids and proceeded to run where they were leading him.

"See you at the spar, sis!"

 _Wait, what?_ One moment her brother was beside her, the next Ungu was alone. _What could I have done wrong? They said I wasn't in trouble earlier, and I haven't done anything Mommy would be mad about today._

"They didn't spook you too badly, did they?"

"No, ma'am," Ungu replied, now very confused, "Did I do something wrong?"

Breeze's eyes went wide. "No. Did you think that you were in trouble?"

"My mom only makes sure I'm alone when I'm in trouble, and..." Ungu shrugged helplessly. "I don't know all your rules."

Breeze was careful to lower herself in order to make the size difference less noticeable as she gave Ungu a reassuring tail-smile. "You have done nothing wrong, Ungu. I just wanted to ask you about some things without our little ones nipping at your tail."

Ungu immediately turned to look at her tail to see if it had been bitten.

"It's a figure of speech, dear. Often the little ones make any kind of serious conversation impossible." Breeze chuckled. "Especially when those three are involved."

She continued, "How is your brother doing?"

"His eye still hurts. Um, I mean..." Ungu stuttered, "Where his eye was. Where he got hurt."

Breeze nodded. "And he has been trying to hide that?"

"He doesn't like the pain leaves."

"I can understand why. They kind of take you out of it," Breeze agreed with a nod of the head, "Mender says that he can use half leaves now. It is time to wean him off."

"He'll be happy to hear that," Ungu replied. She halted an attempt to continue when she saw Breeze's expression. "Ma'am?"

"The pack made a decision today concerning your pack. We are going to send an expedition to help them along the way." Breeze looked at the little biter kindly. "Mender, Haven, Soar, and my mate are going to see what they can do."

"I will be taking over Gyors' treatment," she added.

"Oh." Ungu didn't know what else to say. _Why are you telling just me? Doesn't Gyors need to know too?_

Breeze detected her unspoken question. "Mender is going to tell him herself, but I thought that you should know as well. We want to make sure that you understand what is going on. And it is important that if there are any problems that you let me know right away, okay?"

"Okay..."

Breeze detected the hesitation in Ungu's voice. "Is something wrong, dear?"

"No, everything's fine," Ungu replied a bit hurriedly. She didn't like how Breeze was looking at her.

The gray fastbiter continued to stare at the little biter for a moment before breaking eye contact and silently sniffing the air. The scent and rapid response appeared to confirm her suspicions. She was not getting the full answer.

And she already suspected why.

"Our pack used to have a member who was mostly smell-blind."

"W-what?" Ungu stammered, taking a couple of steps back. _How'd she know? How'd she know?_

Breeze closed her eyes. She had hoped that she was wrong.

"Yep! She tried to hide it from us, but we helped her use what smell she had. She just needed to learn to trust us and to let others know when she needed help." She tried to act nonchalant about this information as she gave Ungu a smile. "Not all injuries are as obvious as a lost eye."

"I know," Ungu muttered to herself. She started looking for a place she could dart to and not be followed; the ground swallowing her up would be nice, too.

Breeze continued as if nothing was wrong. "She is so good at using her other skills that you can't notice that she's smell-blind now. Not unless you really know what you are looking for."

"She's still alive?" Ungu asked, shocked.

Breeze raised her tail in a happy manner. "Yep! Though I don't think I should let you know who she is unless she tells me to tell you. But she is very much alive and going on adventures with her new pack to this very day."

She tilted her head. "Is there anything that you want to tell me, Ungu?"

"Don't tell Mom and Dad, please," Ungu begged, embarrassed beyond what she thought was possible.

Breeze nodded and gave Ungu a reassuring nudge. It was probably good that Ungu didn't recognize her scent well because she was now quite concerned. _Your parents don't know?_

"I can't understand scents," Ungu finally admitted, "I can't even tell who is who at night if they're not looking at me."

Breeze let out the breath she was holding. She had to be careful here. She didn't want to distress the poor girl any more than she already was.

"So you smell the scents, but you don't understand them? As in you can't tell them apart?"

Ungu nodded her head dejectedly.

Breeze nudged her again. "Hey, take it easy. At least you can smell the scents, so you have won half the battle. Someone simply needs to help you win the other half. We cannot fix a problem until we admit that a problem exists."

"How can you fix this?" Ungu asked, "It feels like it gets worse every day."

Breeze tilted her head. "Do you think that is because you are finding it harder to identify things, or simply that your siblings are getting better at it?"

"I... I don't know." Being honest with herself, Ungu had to admit that she'd just stopped trying after a while. _Why try when I'm just going to lose anyway?_

"Well… then that will the first part of your treatment. Your brother is quite good at the 'sniffing game' and he really needs it now with his lost eye. So you two could help one another as you both improve." She gave Ungu another nudge. "But Ungu… you really do need to tell your parents at some point. They love you. They care for you. But they cannot help you unless they know that there is a problem."

"They _can't_ know!" Ungu practically shrieked in panic, "They'd be so disappointed. What good is being fast if you can't find what you're running after?" All of Ungu's siblings, as well as Ungu herself, tried to stand out, to be good at something. To stand out from your many siblings for the wrong reasons, though...

"We all have strengths and weaknesses, Ungu. A good packmate helps to share their strengths with others and allows others to help address their weaknesses." Breeze nudged her again. "A pack is more than each of its individuals. It is like a body. And a body can only be healthy when all of its parts work together."

"No pack's gonna want me," Ungu said with a sigh, "No one tries to be sick." A thought suddenly occurred to her. "Is that smell-blind friend of yours even real?" she asked, suddenly a bit suspicious. _It can't be as easy as she makes it sounds. I_ tried _. Nothing ever got better._

Breeze closed her eyes. _Please forgive me for this, Mender, but we can't have her doubting now._

"You can ask your Aunt Mender about that. She seems real enough to me."

"W-w-what? That's impossible!" Ungu protested. _Mom and Dad never said anything about Aunt Mender being smell-blind. And her hidden runner friends wouldn't want someone that can't smell with them. Most of the kids back home didn't want me on their team when we did those big smelling practices. I wonder why we never did that with chasing?_

Breeze continued, "Oh it's possible. Remember what I said about a pack being like a body? If you can't be the pack's nose then you could be its ears like Mender. Or its claws like Stern Claw. Or its brain like Seeker. Or its feet like me. You and your brother just need to find your path, and you have your whole childhood to do so."

"C-could I talk to Aunt Mender? Please?" Ungu asked, afraid her question would offend Breeze but needing to know if what the grey fastbiter was saying was the truth.

Breeze sighed and nodded. "She is preparing for her trip while Stern Claw and Taunt entertain all of you kids. But I will see if she has time after the spar is over."

 _You may not be in trouble, Ungu, but I don't think I can say the same for myself._

* * *

"You told her _what_?" Mender nearly shouted, glaring at Breeze, "Why would you _ever_ do that?"

Breeze took a deep breath. This was pretty much going as expected.

"Mender… have you considered that your sniffer problem might be a family thing?"

"Breeze, I don't have a mate, and, as much as I wish I did, I don't have kids. So how could it be a family thing?"

Breeze almost wished that she had feathers like her mate so that she could groom them and calm her nerves. "I mean that you had to get it from somewhere, and sometimes things skip a generation, like my grey color. What if your scent-blindness was like that?"

"Wha... why are you asking about this?" Mender asked, "None of Verant's kids are smell-blind. I checked. Repeatedly. To the point _Staza_ got annoyed with me."

Breeze frowned. "Mender, Ungu told me that she has problems telling scents apart." She took a breath. "She hid it from her parents and siblings, and I had to give her hope somehow. You are that hope." _You don't need to know that she thought she was broken. Talking to her was kind of like talking to a little version of you._

"Where is she?" Mender asked, having forced herself to calm down, "And how did you find out she was having a problem?"

Breeze grew tense. "Right now she is enjoying the little show Taunt and Stern Claw are putting on."

"You mean Stern Claw showing how many ways Taunt can be hurt?" Mender asked, trying to cut down the tension between the two of them.

Breeze understood her attempt and responded in kind. "Now, Mender, you know that he sometimes gets a few blows in… As for how I found out about Ungu it was something that she said about being bad at the sniffer game."

"Really? I wasn't the only one back when I was with my parents that wasn't good at that game." Mender suddenly gave Breeze a suspicious look. "You didn't just ask her if she was smell-blind, did you?"

"She is not smell-blind, but she cannot tell people apart in the dark," Breeze clarified, "She smells the scents, but cannot tell them apart. It is like in the color stone test you have for those who can see but not understand color. She smells scents but does not tell them apart."

"How'd that happen?" Mender asked, now very confused, "I can't smell all that far at all, so my brother didn't know there was anything for me to learn. But if she can smell..."

"Exactly. And since her brother is good at the game I think some simple exercises can help us test her abilities. But first she needs some confidence." Breeze smiled with her tail. "She wants to talk to you after the little spar."

Mender looked away from her friend for a moment, thinking. "Why didn't you just tell me you thought something was wrong _with my niece_?" Mender asked, managing to remain completely in control until the end of her sentence, "I could've helped."

Breeze looked down. "I didn't want to worry you if I ended up being wrong. You have more than enough to worry about right now."

"Breeze, this is my family. I need to know everything, even if it turns out to be nothing. What if you'd been completely right about what you thought was wrong?"

"I kind of told Ungu the same thing," Breeze admitted, "I guess I should have followed my own advice."

Mender just nodded in agreement. "You sure you don't want to trade places with me? I kinda went through this once already."

Breeze placed her hand on Mender's shoulder. "I appreciate that you trust me with finding your family, but you are the best healer among us. Ungu will still be here when you get back."

Mender shook her head, chuckling. "What is with everyone and lying? I'm not the best. I know of at least two better than me, and I'm talking to one of them."

"You surpassed us long ago, Mender. There is a reason why the swimmers still use your name to mean healer."

"Are you sure it wasn't because they already have a word meaning 'haven'?" Mender joked, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Breeze took her deflection for what it was and quickly changed the subject. "Speaking of Haven she is at the spar to treat Taunt if Stern Claw decides to change his name to 'Bite Mark'. I just hope that he knows that your family doesn't appreciate strong language."

"I'm going to remind him," Mender replied before turning to head to the sparring match, her tone suggesting that her reminder might be even less pleasant for Taunt than the sparring match.

Breeze decided to follow her former student. "Remember what the rainbowfaces told us! First, healer, do no harm!"

* * *

 **Hidden runner territory:**

Savory. Sweet. Hearty. Many words could be used to describe the meal that they were enjoying at that moment. Red fish and cave flyer eggs were both delicacies meant for the best hunters or for the leaders of a pack. But on this day the meal tasted as bland as a spiketail's backside.

A meal was only as good as the circumstances of its consumption.

Ignis turned from her meal to look at the stricken mother that she had allowed into her personal den. Her body was covered in scrapes from her headlong sprint through branches and thorns, but those injuries paled in comparison to the injuries that could not be seen. The loss of her mate and children.

"Ma'am, you need to eat," Penol said, trying to strike a balance between being understanding and making sure the poor female's health didn't deteriorate. She started to say something further but thought better of it.

The female shook at Penol's words. It was only with the most difficult of movements that she accepted the offered fish and tried to nibble at it, nearly choking in the process. Her dry throat trying to resist Penol's overtures.

When she finally did eat part of the tail she looked up at Penol. "Why are you bothering to help a wretched thing like me?" She looked away with more than a little shame. "I am not important."

Ignis was about to rise and protest when she felt her mate's hand touch her on the shoulder, reminding her that once she finished eating that was the sign for everyone else to finish. She reluctantly sat down. This was Penol's situation to correct.

Penol forced herself to not let her emotions overcome her; it would just make the situation worse. "You bled for the packs," she said, offering a hand to the unfortunate guest, "You're important; otherwise you wouldn't be here. Now please eat." Penol's tone left no room for contradiction.

Though the female seemed to doubt Penol's words she did as she was instructed. After all, one did not disobey family of the Leader.

While she could tell that she hadn't convinced the other female, Penol was just glad she was eating. With that accomplished Penol returned to the other part of her job.

Ignis watched with satisfaction as her cousin calmed the poor female. Though she had offered her sanctuary in her domain, an almost unprecedented step, her station in life prevented her from taking a more active role in comforting her subjects. Thankfully there was another one of her family willing and able to take the burden.

There was a reason she chose Penol for this training position.

"This is a wonderful bit of deflection, Great Leader. Sometimes the only way to forestall bad omens is to create omens of your own."

Ignis closed her eyes for a moment as she took a deep breath. _Dravos, not now._

Dravos did not appear to hear her thoughts as he continued whispering. "Fate cannot have left you if you are the compassionate one."

Ignis did her best to maintain her magnanimous and careful facade as she whispered into his ear, "I didn't do this for appearance sake, Dravos. Regardless, you had better hope that it works and Wrok does not take my scrape. I don't think Wrok will have any qualms about bashing you with a rock."

She continued to watch Penol provide new eggs to the assembled children and her mates as Dravos went oddly silent for several moments.

"Of course, ma'am."

Ignis allowed herself an internal smirk. Sometimes it was good to have the last word.

* * *

 _I'm glad we're helping her, but this could get awkward,_ Penol thought as she finished handing out the eggs, _If the kids start asking her questions..._ Dismissing those thoughts for the time being she walked over to Ignis to see if she wanted anything else.

"Is there anything else you would like, ma'am?" Penol asked Ignis. She noticed that, not surprisingly, Ignis had what Penol thought of as her leader face on. _Ignis always feels a bit fake when she's like this,_ Penol thought, _It's a bit weird, but it doesn't feel creepy like Dravos does. Just being in the same area as him... yikes._ There was a reason she'd been trying to find every excuse to be as far from Dravos as possible while not looking like she was trying to avoid him. Unfortunately, his close proximity to Ignis made this very, very difficult.

"One red fish would be fine. I am sure the young ones would prefer to have the last of the eggs," Ignis responded assertively as her station demanded. She then almost inaudibly added "please" as it would be scandalous for the others to hear her request, as opposed to order, food.

But there were some ways that Ignis decided to keep even if only those who were close to her were able to see them.

"As you wish, ma'am." Penol bowed and turned to retrieve the fish as ordered, moving slightly faster than was entirely appropriate.

"How are your studies going, dear cousin?" Penol nearly stumbled when Ignis spoke in a familiar tone once the order had been made, "You have been learning under Talus over the last few days, have you not?"

"Yes, ma'am," Penol replied, her tone betraying that she'd been caught off-balance. _I really wish she wouldn't do that. I never know how to behave when she acts familiar while I'm doing my job._

Ignis gave her a smile before whispering, "We shall talk after dinner." This was followed by two taps on the ground with her foot. "Would any of you children like more eggs?"

What followed was a scene that was something between precious and an absolute farce. As the children could not rise and shout their desire for eggs with dignified guests present, they resorted to looking at one another before thumping with their feet loudly. The result was an undignified torrent of chaotic sounds that yet still followed the established protocol.

 _While they're not behaving wrong,_ Penol thought with a mental laugh, _I don't think this is what was intended by their etiquette teachers._

As she tended to the children she did not see the weary look on Ignis's face.

* * *

It had taken longer than a typical meal in the Leader's Den, but Penol had finally picked up the last remnants of the night's meal. Though her work would begin early the next morning, Penol allowed herself to feel satisfaction at her work.

"You're… not like the others."

Penol froze for a moment, barely keeping herself from jumping in startlement. She'd completely forgotten Ignis's guest was still present, the female having been unnaturally quiet for some time. "Ma'am?" Penol finally asked once she regained her composure.

"You're not like the others. Then… neither is she or her first mate. They..." The female shook her head. "I'm sorry. Please don't listen to my ramblings."

"What do you mean?" Penol asked, curiosity getting the better of her, "About me being different, I mean."

The female rubbed her head as if tending some old injury for several moments before finally answering in hushed tones. "The Proper Ways and the Special Ways. Those are the things that we common runners lack. But both you and her know how to live without those ways, don't you? I can see it in your eyes. And I saw it in hers when her children thumped the ground like it was a belly slider."

Penol couldn't hide her mortification. Where Ignis was concerned, there was nothing she could say in reply that would be even remotely appropriate. Explaining that the Great Leader was a bit of a rebel herself just wasn't done. As for herself, the truth simply wasn't pleasant.

"Not so loud," Penol hissed in reply despite both of them barely being able to hear each other.

The female quickly crumpled to the ground in a submissive gesture.

"Sorry," Penol said before carefully moving to sit beside the other hidden runner, "Could you tell me your name? Mine's Penol."

"Prizo," she replied weakly. At the other hidden runner's kind gesture she began to calm again. "I was mated to Hemlock, the son of Maltoy. But no one you need worry about. No one of rank."

"Hm, guess we're the same then," Penol replied.

Prizo looked up, surprised. "What do you mean?" _Nobody is made a Chosen Assistant without having family ties._

Prizo watched in fascination as Penol seemed to look for her words. Despite her enormous tragedy. The loss of her mate and the eggs which would never hatch, she had found hope in the kindness of a stranger. A Leader of the Packs she had simultaneously always known, yet never known, since her ascension. A constant figure who bathed everyone else in her glow.

What she had found in this sanctuary was a level of, dare she think it, earthiness that she thought was only the hallmark of the common hidden runner. But yet seeing her Leader have common traits made her more worthy of loyalty in her eyes. Fate had given them a leader who could understand their needs.

Penol sighed. "I was just a common hidden runner until Ignis became the Great Leader. M-my family was disgraced."

Prizo's eyes went wide, but she said nothing. The taint of disgrace did not fade after two generations was what she had always been told. Surely the infraction was minor?

Penol forced herself to continue. "My mother mated far below her rank," she explained, "Her parents weren't happy."

Prizo bowed her head, not wanting to ask her question verbally.

"They omitted her from the family song," Penol said in answer to Prizo's unspoken question before turning her head away.

Prizo took a deep breath, not really being ready to say what was on her mind. "And Our Leader did not look at you any differently. She did not judge you by rank."

It was not a question and Penol knew it.

"Well, she called me her cousin when she offered me this position," Penol said, "I still can't believe I'm here sometimes."

Prizo took a deep breath, not quite comprehending what she was hearing. "Forgive me, High Born, but that must be quite a story."

Penol nodded with some apprehension, "That is quite the understatement."

 _Penol did not know what to do other than stay out of everyone else's way. Most of the other members of her family didn't actually consider her to be family, so she found herself standing at the back of the crowd hoping the others would forget she was there as much as they were trying to pretend she wasn't._

" _Loyal packmates, the Leader will now address you!"_

 _As if on cue everyone stood more rigid, as if being inspected by a Deputy. Not really thinking, Penol tried her best to replicate the expression._

 _That was when her cousin's features became visible from the top of the hill. Imperious eyes looking down upon the crowd as two other hidden runners stood at either side. One holding a sweet bubble, a sign of fertility, and the other holding a thorny vine. At this point in time she had no idea how fitting Dravos's gesture truly was._

I know I'm not doing anything important in this, _Penol thought_ , but is it really too much for someone to explain to me what is going on?

" _My fellow packmates, I stand before you on this day in order to make choices. Choices that will affect my scape in the same way that your chosen Deputies have affected our packs. One of the duties of a leader, and one in which the opinions of her people is most important…"_

 _Ignis's eyes locked on to Penol's for one moment before she turned towards one of her guards, giving him a slight nod._

" _...For this reason your grievance speakers, which your packs have selected, shall be welcome in my morning meetings. I do not fear hearing the thoughts of my people."_

I wish I could say the same, _Penol thought. She suddenly stiffened when she unexpectedly felt a hand on her shoulder._

" _Follow."_

What did I do wrong this time? _Penol, thought, trying not to panic,_ This is why I didn't want to be here. I don't know what I'm doing. _Despite being rather worried, she didn't bother to try to flee or resist. It wouldn't have done any good and probably would have made whatever trouble she'd gotten herself into far worse._

 _She followed the large male as the crowd parted, greeting her with a mixture of critical glances and intentional disinterest. Thinking that she had shamed her already disgraced line she much preferred the disinterest. It was all that she deserved._

 _Suddenly the crowd appeared to part as Penol realized that she was now in the front of the crowd. Now nothing was hiding her from the full scrutiny of everyone present._

" _But for those who shall learn the Special Ways, I can think of only one choice. One who has never experienced the Ways, but who was hatched to them. One who has the heart of an Elect, but who never lusted for power. One who could only be chosen by my word."_

Wait, what's going on? _Penol thought, now very confused._

" _My cousin will step forward."_

Who? _Penol wondered, not thinking the Leader could possibly mean her._

 _That was when she felt the slight push of the guard, his expression almost apologetic. He had grabbed a Low Hatched and had ended up summoning family of the Leader._

 _Penol stepped forward awkwardly, not entirely sure what she was supposed to do beyond that. Despite the fact that she walked quickly to her cousin's presence the walk felt like it took ages. It was only when Ignis gave the slightest nod of her head that Penol practically fell to the ground._

 _Silence fell upon her for several moments. In the assembled crowd no one said a word._

" _Penol, my cousin, arise."_

 _Penol got up hurriedly, concentrating on getting up without embarrassing herself further. She hadn't meant to get to the ground_ quite _that quickly._

 _That was when she felt her cousin's hand on her shoulder._

I died back there, right? _Penol thought, unable to believe the Great Leader would actually touch her,_ This is just doesn't happen to me.

" _Penol, you are to be trained in our ways as our assistant," Ignis gestured at herself and the two in her entourage before gesturing to her to face the crowd._

 _Penol looked back at the crowd, her mind having not quite caught up with what was going on around her._

" _Observe, packs. I present to you Penol, my first assistant. May Fate guide her."_

 _Thunder seemed to echo around her as the crowd began to beat the ground rhythmically with their clawed feet, assaulting the daylight with their salute. As Penol's mind shut down against the incomprehensible sight she was only sure of one thing. Her life would no longer be the same._

"How… how did your mother take the news?"

Penol nearly jumped at the other female's words. "To put it mildly, she was thrilled. My grandparents, not so much."

Prizo tilted her head. "They were not thrilled at being freed from their disavowal? I can't imagine how good it must be to regain a child again… I..." She grew silent as the reality of her situation once again threatened to hit her full force.

"Well, the only reason I even knew they were my grandparents was because my mom had to explain why I didn't have any family related to her," Penol said, not wanting Prizo to become depressed again, "We actually talk now. I'm still trying to figure out how the first time I saw them was the first time they knew I existed."

"And… does your mother have her parents again?" Prizo asked after a pause.

"Some of her siblings are happy to be able to talk with her again, but she and her parents just don't seem to know how to act around each other anymore. Which I can't figure out, because sometimes my grandfather is visibly happy to see me."

Prizo laughed slightly. "It is a hard thing to admit to wrong especially when one's pride is at stake, Younger One; sometimes it is easier to show an apology than it is to say it. Reminds me of a certain male I used to know..." Her expression turned somewhat melancholy though the smirk was still there, "I think he would have liked you."

"So what was it like having a fastbiter pair in your territory?" Penol asked after a pause.

"Oh Serious Eyes and Momma Claws? For fastbiters they were nice… though one had to fight the urge to run off whenever you saw Verant staring at you through the bushes." She gave Penol a look when she realized that she was a bit confused. "You will understand when you have eggs, dear. Even fastbiters are a bit protective of the little ones."

"So they kept their kids away from the pack?" Penol asked, still confused.

Prizo nodded, "At first. When they decided to let them play with the little ones that was when Creepy Eyes earned his nickname. Though his creepy eyes protected us from Questor's stinking pack. Until finally he couldn't."

"Somehow I think he might find us creepy," Penol replied, thinking on what she'd heard from reporting scouts about how other dinosaurs reacted to hidden runners.

"They… it took a long while for him to trust us," Prizo agreed after a pause, "He took exception to those who would 'blend into the grass like a field of egg-stealers' but he made an exception for friends of Seeker. If it hadn't been for that then we would have moved on to safer rivers."

"So that's what Verant was like. What were the others like?" Penol asked, fascinated.

As the two females chatted with one another, each in rapt attention of the thoughts of the other, they did not notice the eyes gleaming in the light of the outer cave. It was an inquisitive pair of eyes. The eyes of someone with a sudden idea.

Dravos left the cave without a word. He had work to do.

* * *

 **Wrok's territory:**

"So you are telling me that all three scouting parties were murdered and none of you stinking, worthless morons could even find out where they went?"

"We have a good idea which way they were heading when the scouts were killed, judging by where they were killed," Bluntbeak replied, doing his best to remain respectful, "If they changed direction after that..." He shrugged helplessly.

Wrok stormed past Bluntbeak, leaving both him and Greenshade in his wake. He let out a sigh of relief when he realized that he was not the target of Wrok's fury.

"Well? What do you have to say?"

Bluntbeak barely resisted the urge to look back to keep track of what was going on. Judging by Greenshade's nudging him to remind him not to look back, he was starting to think she could read his mind.

"We did not pursue, sir… because we wanted to check for new orders. We did not think that…"

"Exactly! You did not think! And now you have eight dead scouts and nothing to show for it but your hide. How do you think that looks to me? How do you think it looks to the two scouts who are still standing at attention while you shake like a fucking youngling?"

 _Sounds like these guys are about to get demoted,_ Bluntbeak thought, cringing in sympathy. The only way to get back in the leader's good graces would require a very high chance of death, probably by trying to kill the fastbiters Wrok was so angry about.

It was then that the other deputy spoke. "I will personally lead another mission, sir! With these two scouts I am sure that we can find them again!"

 _And quite possibly die,_ Bluntbeak thought grimly, _We'll need more than the small groups we've been sending out so far._

"Tell me, Deputy, what do you think the purpose of your mission?"

"To kill the fastbiters, sir!"

"Not the literal mission. The actual mission. Do you know?" Only silence answered Wrok's question. "Do any of you know? If so then answer now."

 _To do the job that idiot Questor can't?_ Bluntbeak thought.

"To show our enemies what we are capable of and to discourage Questor from challenging you, sir!" Greenshade practically shouted as she stared forward, not daring to move. In that instant Bluntbeak had no idea if she had answered correctly or had invited the leader's wrath.

The sound of slow footsteps greeted Bluntbeak's ears as Wrok walked between his two scouts, briefly looking at each of them. "Bluntbeak."

"Sir!" Bluntbeak replied, stiffening even more.

"Do you agree with your comrade's assessment?"

"Yes, sir," Bluntbeak replied, deciding not to voice his doubts about Questor's competence.

Wrok smiled slightly. "And what else would you like to share with me?"

"I have doubts about Questor's competence as a leader, sir," Bluntbeak replied.

Wrok walked closer to Bluntbeak until he was beak to beak with his inferior, staring him directly in the eyes. "I see where you earned your name. But you are not wrong." He then walked passed him as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

 _I've got to hide my emotions better,_ Bluntbeak thought, relieved.

"Greenshade you have proven your competence. You are to take Aldarek's place as Deputy. Do you still approve of your partner?"

"Yes, sir."

 _Thanks for the endorsement,_ Bluntbeak thought.

Wrok nodded. "Then you may keep him. You will need a messenger to me," he gave Bluntbeak a glance, "And that is the one job where talking is not a disadvantage."

 _I am glad you approve, sir,_ Bluntbeak thought sarcastically.

"As for you, Deputy Cornal, you are to keep your position. You actually tried to use a messenger to alert me before fleeing the field."

"Thank you, sir."

There was silence for a few moments as Bluntbeak continued to stare forward. Undoubtedly Wrok was deciding what to do with his demoted deputy.

"You shall take Bluntbeak's place as scout under your new deputy. Now get out of my sight."

A choked breath, something between a gasp and a sob could be heard.

"Now!"

Bluntbeak hurriedly sidestepped to avoid being knocked over by the panicked hidden runner as he fled, not caring that Bluntbeak was in the way.

"Face me. None of you are scouts anymore, and we don't have time for nonsense."

Bluntbeak and Greenshade turned at the same time so Wrok was now in front of them. The three other remaining deputies, his chosen killers, having been waved forward, now joined the meeting. The three sentinels of death had vines on their necks, a symbol of their loyalty and a mark of what they had done to the previous pack.

Wrok wasted no time in becoming animated as he began to speak.

"Our assault was marvelous and our ally is firmly in our debt, but we have failed to push the advantage. This leaves us vulnerable if our ally chooses to make further changes to his loyalties. This needs to be addressed."

 _Short of killing Questor we'd have to sit and watch him constantly,_ Bluntbeak thought, wondering where Wrok was going with this, _Not a very useful ally if you have to treat him like a hatchling._

"Should we kill him, sir?" one of the vine covered three asked matter-of-factly.

Wrok gave a wave of the hand. "That would only invite another to try the same. Questor is safe until fate decides otherwise. But we must show that fate still favors _us_. And as Questor has failed in his efforts to kill the remnants we lose nothing in changing the definition of victory."

This made Greenshade tilt her head. "Sir?"

Wrok seemed pleased by the confusion for some reason. "Right now the so-called Leader who has defiled our people is laughing at how many we have lost in going after one fastbiter. She thinks this means that we are weak. This gives other packs the motivation to potentially join any hunt against us… but we can shift the tides."

 _How?_

"We have thirty hidden runners of scout rank. That should be more than enough for a bit of opportunistic hunting." Wrok took a familiar orange root and crushed it with a rock. "How many two-footers have the scouts tracked today, Greenshade? By scent I mean."

"Three families, sir," Greenshade replied readily, having remembered the earlier scouting reports.

"And two fastbiter packs," Wrok added as he grabbed a spear and dipped it into the red sap, "The flyers can give the Orange Death to the two-footers at night… you four will see to it that none of the younglings survive. When the packs come for the free meal… well… just make sure to add some more orange to the red food. After tonight who would not dare fear us?"

 _And probably want to kill us,_ Bluntbeak thought, _This could go very wrong._

"Won't this make all of the packs want to attack us, sir?" his partner, now boss, asked. It was obvious that Greenshade followed the logic, but not the purpose.

Wrok nodded. "Exactly. But when the Hand of Fate is moving many wait until they know who is going to be crushed in its grasp. If we don't want to be on the receiving end then we need to strike first."

"Seeker will already be moving against us. Best to remove any friends he might have in our territory, and to make any others think twice," one of the vine-covered deputies agreed.

 _But if things shift against us..._ Bluntbeak wondered, _Well, we'll simply have to make sure that never happens._

"Alright, you all have your orders. Any questions?"

Greenshade appeared ready to speak when four other voices cried out 'no, sirs' in unison.

Wrok nodded. "Good, let's turn this unfortunate setback into another victory. Dismissed."

Bluntbeak turned to leave, following Greenshade. "So, how do you think we should handle those fastbiters if we run into them again?" Bluntbeak asked, not wanting to dwell on the contents of the meeting.

Greenshade turned towards her partner with an almost dumbfounded expression. It was only then that he realized just how much had changed for them both.

Of all of the voices to answer Bluntbeak had never expected Wrok's. "May I borrow your messenger for a moment, Greenshade?"

Greenshade froze for a moment, her mind appearing to shut down. "Yes. Yes, sir."

"Excellent. It will only be a moment."

 _This can't be good,_ Bluntbeak thought, freezing for a moment, _Does he still have that Orange Death? Did I do something wrong?_ He forced himself to calm down and turn towards Wrok. _Wrok wouldn't kill or demote me right after giving me a new job, right?_

"Sir?"

Wrok smiled a moment. "I think I have my first message for you, Bluntbeak. It is time that I send a message to an _old friend_."

* * *

 **Seeker's territory:**

"Ha! You have to be faster than that to catch me, Stern Face!"

"Arghh… you are going to have another scar by the time I'm done with you!"

 _I know they're playing, but they sure don't act like they're playing,_ Ungu thought, _Ugh, I wish I knew what these smells were telling me._

Taunt quickly dodged his mate's attempt to bite his neck as he struck out at her undefended chest. In the resulting tussle Stern Claw was nearly thrown into the audience of children, causing a torrent of little fuzz balls and flyers to move like a school of fish disrupted by a shark. This earned a fair number of taunts from the audience on the other side of the 'fighting circle'.

"Ha! Taunt is playing pinecone with Stern Claw!" Biter mocked, ignoring the glare from his sister once she got situated once more.

Pounce rolled his eyes. "You want to be the main attraction in the second match, don't you?"

Biter strutted arrogantly. "If Swipe is brave enough to face me again."

Ambush chuckled. "I bet a ground fuzzy that Mr. Biter gets swiped!"

"You're on!"

The children soon settled down as the adults began to circle once more. With Taunt's point he was within striking distance of evening the score.

 _At least the other kids are easier for me to figure out,_ Ungu thought, chuckling at the previous chaos, _How does Aunt Mender do this?_

"Look out!"

"Eep!" Ungu dashed out of the way to avoid being crushed by Taunt.

Only to feel herself rising into the air as a sudden pressure was felt on the back of her neck. Taunt ended up falling where the little biter was moments before.

"Urgh… Well, Mender's above me; that can't be good."

Ungu felt her body being lowered back to the ground as a rather familiar voice echoed from behind her.

"If Ungu had been hit then it really wouldn't have been good. For _either_ of you."

Ungu looked back to see her aunt looking none too happy. She tried not to cringe. _Please tell me I didn't do anything wrong again._

"Well… that is four points," a rather subdued Cera noted as she walked by and helped Taunt to his feet, "Perhaps no more throwing might be in order?"

Taunt groaned. "You just want to scar my pretty face."

"You have an odd definition of pretty," she retorted.

"Pretty enough for you to decide to let me ride you, my dear," Taunt muttered, earning a glare from Mender.

"You got lucky due to a lack of options," Cera muttered as she cheekily ran back into the fighting circle; she knew Taunt's reaction before it happened.

"Why you ungrateful-"

Mender hurriedly covered Ungu's ears. "Language," she snapped, glaring at Taunt.

But Taunt was already face-to-face with his adversary and mate as the battle resumed in earnest. This time the fighting was up close and personal with each making flirtatious comments in between the exchange of blows.

"Why are they acting like that, Aunt Mender?" Gyors suddenly asked as he checked on his sister with a quick glance. "They are talking like they like one another, but they are beating each other up."

"Oh that's how Mommy and Daddy are!" Pounce replied nonchalantly as the other children moved close to Mender in case one of the fighters went airborne again.

"It's when Momma gets silent that you know she is mad," Ambush noted.

"It's what they're saying that I'm worried about," Mender muttered to herself before turning to Ungu and Gyors, "Don't repeat any new words you hear from them." She would have tried to make the same point to Taunt and Stern Claw's kids, but the effort seemed hopeless. It was too late to prevent their parents' brand of insanity from sinking in.

"Are those bad words?" Gyors asked with genuine concern as Pounce laughed beside him.

"Well not all of them. 'The', 'an', and 'me' are not bad words," Pounce added cheekily.

"If you're not sure, don't use it," Mender finally said, "I really don't want to have explain things to your parents." Trying to explain to Staza why her kids now knew words they shouldn't would not be pleasant.

Ungu nodded. _I don't want my parents mad at me. They're probably not going to be happy about my sniffer, anyway. Maybe it won't be that bad. They like Aunt Mender, and Miz Breeze said she's smell blind. But how do I bring that up with her?_

It was then that a slapping sound was heard followed by an audible groan from Stern Claw.

"Goal!" Pounce cheered, "Daddy won for once!"

"Boys rule, girls drool!" Biter added triumphantly. He did not have time to react to Swipe immediate retaliation as his legs were knocked out from under him by a familiar pink tail.

"See you in the fighting circle, _boy_."

"Is Biter okay?" Ungu asked, seeing him sprawled on the ground.

Pounce helped him up as Ambush rolled her eyes. "Everything is alright except his pride."

"Hey, my pride is fine!" Biter affirmed with a boast as he shook his head, "Now I just need to grab my vines and show my sister who is the dominant youngling in the nest!" He then sprinted away without another word as the respective males and females in the various families began to cheer on their new champions. It was obvious that this would go on until each family had their own little settling of scores.

"Um… Mender do you want to help with this? We need to make sure the little ones do not hurt themselves, oh no, no, no."

Ungu jumped in the air slightly, startled by Ducky's voice. _When did she get here?_

"Sure, Haven. But do you mind if I talk to my niece for a moment?"

 _Uh oh,_ Ungu thought, _I wanted to talk to Aunt Mender, but what does she want to talk to me about?_

"Oh, no problem. I am sure it will take awhile for Biter and Swipe to get ready for their little spar. You know Ponder will give them the safety lecture twice."

Ungu felt the slightest hint of a nudge against her neck.

"Ungu, will you come with me for a moment?"

Ungu nodded nervously. _What did I do?_

* * *

 _What do I do?_

To say that Mender felt that she was out of her league would be an understatement. She knew how to handle injuries and panicked patients, but anything like parenting was in a world totally unknown to her. But Verant and Staza were not here, and someone had to reassure her niece.

She took a deep breath. _Best to start slow._

"How did you like the fighting?"

I think I'm going to watch from a tree next time," Ungu answered, sounding like she wasn't sure she wanted there to be a next time.

"You didn't like it?" Mender tilted her head with curiosity. "Being in one of their spars hurts a bit, but it is kind of fun. Well the injuries aren't, but the competition is."

"I got a point once," she added with more than a little self-deprecation and a good-natured smile.

"Who'd you fight?" Ungu asked, curious.

"Ponder. She was very good at feigning and slashing. I did not make it to the second round, but, as I had not even had my adult name at the time, I felt good just to have that one point. We all have to begin somewhere."

Mender allowed herself another breath. A fight was as good of a topic as any to shift to the discussion of overcoming adversity and insecurity.

"They let you do that?" Ungu asked, suddenly remembering what Ruby's rank in the pack was, "But I thought..."

Mender blinked as she looked at the little biter. "You thought what, dear?"

"Miz Ponder is Seeker's mate, and Seeker's in charge here," Ungu said slowly, "And Miz Ponder seems to be highly ranked, so why would they let a kid fight her?"

"It was their way of showing they respected us enough to let us in on their spars and… they also wanted to help us for when we went on our way." Mender paused for a moment. "You have to remember that we didn't know about vines as protection so all of my pack's fights were _actual_ fights. That is why your Dad is so good at fighting and I was good at avoiding them." _Most of the time. I have the scars to show for the times that I didn't._

"So I guess it is kind of like when your Mom and Dad train you in how to do grown up things. You are not an adult, but you pretend for a little bit," Mender added.

"How'd you become a healer?" Ungu suddenly asked, enjoying learning more about her aunt.

This caught Mender off-guard. "Uh… that is quite a long story. I was unsure what I could do to help the pack, and Seeker suggested I become a healer. I thought he was crazy. Actually, I still think he was crazy."

Ungu just looked at her aunt with a confused expression.

Mender looked right into her niece's eyes

"It was hard for me to think of myself as anything but a burden. My bad sniffer would have killed me many times if it wasn't for my brother."

"W-what?" Ungu stammered. While Breeze had told her about her aunt's smell-blindness, having her aunt bring it up unprompted was still rather shocking.

Mender nodded. "My brother and your mom always exaggerated their gestures for me so that I would get the message, but so much was lost to me. This pack helped me to refine what smell I did have, and for that I will always be grateful. But I could not have gotten help until I admitted that I had a problem."

"So that's why I could I always figure out what they meant," Ungu thought aloud, looking away from her aunt.

Mender stopped her forward motion.

"It's alright, Ungu. You don't have to hide things from me or from this pack. They _will_ help you, but first you have to admit that you need help."

"They'll just laugh," Ungu replied, thinking more about the other kids than the adults, "At least you had a reason you couldn't find things."

Mender tilted her head. "And you don't? You have a sniffer problem too, but that doesn't mean that it can't be helped. As for the kids, how many of them laughed at Gyors not having one of his eyes?"

Ungu opened her mouth to respond but promptly closed it and looked away.

"And how many helped him in the sniffer game?"

"That's different," Ungu objected, "He got hurt. I'm just dumb."

Mender's face was in Ungu's in an instant.

"Don't say that, Ungu. Don't you _ever_ say that. You hear me?" Her eyes were brilliant in their intensity. "You were loyal enough to go on a flyer when you didn't have to just to help keep your brother company. You went into a pack you didn't know in order to fulfill your vow. And your father says that you memorize things as good as me. Does that sound dumb to you?"

Stunned, Ungu backed up away from Mender. She didn't know how to react.

Mender pulled away, taken aback by her own reaction. "Sorry, Ungu, it's just… that does not sit well with me. It took me a long time to realize that I wasn't dumb. Too long. And life is too short to be held back by the ignorance of others."

"How am I not dumb?" Ungu asked, more confused than anything, "My brothers and sisters can figure out what they're smelling really fast. I can't figure it out at all."

Mender pondered how to answer for a moment. "In our travels, my pack heals many packs and herds, anyone who needs help unless we are starving at the time... and we have found some swimmers that had a similar problem to you. They can see well enough, but they do not see the right colors. Some leaves look similar to blood to them; they see no difference. This is part of the reason why we have begun collecting color stones to find out when people have this problem."

Mender put a hand on her niece's back. "I think you are having something similar to what those swimmers have, but with your sniffer instead of your eyes. It has nothing to do with your head."

As if to punctuate the point she playfully gave Ungu's head a few playful bonks with the dull part of one of her claw.

"Aunt Mender... stop," Ungu protested with a laugh, ducking away.

Mender smiled as she stopped giving the little biter the playful head nudges. "Now then… no more calling yourself dumb. Understand, little hunter?"

"Yes, ma'am," Ungu replied, happy that someone had an idea what she was dealing with.

"Now then. I do believe that Biter and Swipe are going to spar and undoubtedly the other little biters will be joining in. Can I count on you to make sure Gyors stays away from the spars?"

Ungu nodded enthusiastically. "I can do that." Not being that interested in sparring herself, she didn't need any encouragement to stay away. Keeping Gyors out of it, though…

"No, Gyors, the vine goes over the tail. Like this."

"W-we're back?" Ungu asked in confusion. Mender had led her in a wide circle. Her posture suddenly became more confident and rigid when she realized what her brother was doing. "Gyors, what do you think you're doing?" she yelled, dashing towards her brother.

Gyors turned his head as he stumbled over the vines on his legs. Though Gyors was prevented from doing serious damage to himself in the process, Ungu's assertive reprimanding of her brother made Mender smile.

"So much like Verant."

Then as Ungu looked at Mender, horrified at breaking the normal hierarchy of her fellow siblings without adult approval, Mender gave her a reassuring nod. Again getting authorization to continue her actions, Ungu literally began to rip the vines off of her disappointed brother.

"And so much like Staza."

* * *

 **Mysterious Beyond:**

The lush verdant fields of the plains stretched for miles in all directions as two colorful streaks of scales emerged from the foliage under the flyers overhead. An observer would have only picked up on the slightest hints of sound emerging from the female rainbowface had they approached close by.

"It is odd to think that hidden runner society could be relatively primitive in technology, but so advanced in social organization. They have the beginnings of a religious system, an elective monarchy, and now it seems an internal conflict spanning multiple packs. We normally don't see this level of societal development until they begin using bronze."

Chronos sighed as he tapped on his mate's stone.

"...I forgot to turn it on again, didn't I?"

He merely nodded as he gave her a slight smile.

Logos sighed as she tapped the stone again and put it back in its receptacle. Securing the vines snuggly with an annoyed grunt. "Well, now that I am done with our "rainbowface speak" as the kids call it, i'm sure that our findings will not be of much comfort to Ignis."

Chronos nodded. "As we have found out it isn't particularly fun being the specimen. Though we are again. We are not exactly disinterested parties in this, dear."

Logos rolled her eyes. "Obviously. Wrok deposing Ignis would weaken the valley's position, and with it our security as well. But we can't be rash about this." She gave him a coy expression. "I know that look."

He shrugged. "The hidden runners already know about spears and healers, so who is to say that they don't make the next logical leap…"

Logos stopped and stared him down. "You know that isn't funny. Arrows and fire are a bridge too far, if we..."

"I'm not suggesting that, dear!" Chronos exclaimed rather loudly as he quickly looked up in the sky at their entourage before leaning in more closely. "I am not suggesting that. I was referring to their social development. Who is to say that Ignis won't, I don't know, learn a few tricks in the murkier tools of statecraft?"

Both rainbowfaces looked at one another for several moments as the flyers circled overhead. Neither said a word as an unspoken consensus began to take shape. It was only after several moments that Logos spoke in a tired voice.

"Remember: whatever you give to a leader you also give to their heirs."

Chronos nodded. "We must first ensure that Wrok is not that heir. One problem at a time, dear. One problem at a time."

Logos sighed. "If only reality gave us that luxury. It isn't the problems I see that I fear, it is the ones that we don't know about that keep me up at night."

* * *

 _Breath in._

The elderly flyer rose from her perch, her aging legs declining to perform what still-agile wings would accomplish. A reminder that though her years were not short they were not insurmountable either. Fate had often killed a flyer of her age long before the ravages of time could finish taking their toll.

 _Breath out._

She looked upon the four sleeping bodies with a soft smile plastered on her beak. For all she knew these could be the last batch of children, or the third of many more to come. Her eldest children now had children of their own, acted as messengers to serve the growing need, or had gone off to find their own winds to guide them. Her second clutch now included the flyers she would face as those she could trust. The brothers and sisters of the one child who had become an entirely different kind. And the brothers and sisters of the brave daughter who had given all to save the valley they still called home.

 _Breath in._

She took off as her sister landed behind her to watch over the sleeping souls. A silent reminder that even if fate took her before her time that they would still find a future. But their actions over the next few days would determine what kind of future it would be. As the breeze of her flight cast its cool air over her body she focused her gaze on the bluffs below.

 _Breath out._

It was time to make sure fate made the right choice.

The rocks echoed with the sounds of landing feet as she extended her wings to deaden the impact of her landing, casting mist upon all present from the condensation upon her wings like a confused cloud not knowing where the ground resided. In that moment all talking ceased.

"Well, children, I take it that Fratus has told you what happened."

There was no audible answer for several moments as each looked at one another in apprehension. Finally one of her daughters spoke.

"He told us that Hano was helping Wrok."

Another voice spoke up, "I never liked the guy."

"He should die for what he tried to do."

Volan unclenched her foot as she tossed her cargo to the center of the clearing. As Hano's still bloody beak clicked against the rocks her adult children attempted to scamper away from the morbid artifact.

"Your brother agreed."

The sound of heavy breathing complimented the horrified looks of the flyers, though their horror was for the revelation and not the result. It was not lost on her that within moments two of Spotter's brothers nodded as if approving of the scene.

Volant nodded. Her children had to understand the stakes.

"If Wrok wins his spat with Ignis then none of us will be safe. He does not seem like the type to settle for potential threats wandering around, and make no mistake we are threats to him. Anything he cannot use is a threat."

"Reminds me of a few old friends until I got wiser," a familiar voice called from behind.

Volant tilted her head without turning towards Pterano. "Is everything clear, brother?"

She could hear the nod in his voice, "The skies are clear. Nunti is keeping watch over the bluffs."

Volant smiled slightly. "Wrok sees us as a threat unless we are on his side. The conspirators see the alliance as a threat to a way of life that is never coming back. And much of the land-dwellers do not see the big picture. That is where we come in."

Everyone seemed to stare at the beak in that same moment. A testament for the fate that could await any flyer at any time.

"First we need to find our spy's go-between."

Pterano looked around in confusion for a moment, "and then what' sister?"

Her eyes turned cold. "Then we have a delivery to make."

* * *

 **Thank you for the reviews, everyone! Both Historian1912 and I appreciate your feedback. Before I get to responding to the reviews, however, I would like to give a shoutout to JulianR94 and his story, "The Eighth Hunter". He has begun to revise the story from chapter 1 (only chapter 1 is completely revised right now - the revised chapters have "final version" at the end of them), so I would encourage old and new fans of his writing alike to check out the results. Sadly, this site does not actively inform readers of when a chapter is revised.  
**

 **DevoutRelic** : No problem about the late review. I obviously have not exactly been timely in updating this story due to complicated nature of the plot interactions and the roleplay conversion aspect of the story, so I cannot complain about the delay in the review. (: Rest assured that both Historian and I greatly appreciate your continued interest and reviews. Both Gyors and Ungu have a rough time with their respective challenges, but only time will tell what the future holds. As for certain members of the valley being uncomfortable with sharptooth allies, this is something that was latent before the events of Songs of the Hunters and have only been intensified due to the pack supporting Dein and Terri despite the loss of a Great Valley resident. There is an old saying that "nations do not have permanent allies, only permanent interests" and this holds true for herds and packs as well. The alliances that have formed to address one threat are not chaffing under the new political situation.

As for seeing the raw roleplay, we might have to consider that at some point. There is about 15,000 words of the roleplay that are currently being revised to fit the desired plot of this story and a few excerpts that had to be excised as they did not fit the pacing of the current story. But if Historian1912 has no objections I think we may be able to release the unedited roleplay after the story is done. I will keep you informed. (:

 **Keijo6** : Wrok is indeed taking on several layers of schemes and plots at the moment. The hidden runner culture is one that is highly social developed while at the same time being at the low level of technological development of the rest of the LBT world. And with high levels of social development (social classes, a quasi-elective monarchy, rudimentary administration, etc.) the capacity for intrigue goes up immensely. It is generally believed that our intellectual development was greatly driven through our complex social systems, but such complexity and intrigues also leads to an increase in the capacity for the more unsavory aspects of society.

Speaking of unsavory, the riddle test is actually based upon a technique that is used to catch leakers in espionage situations. Give all of the suspects a message that is only slightly different; see which message ends up leaked; and then eliminate the leaker. As we have seen the gang does not mess around when it comes to eliminating threats. Though this is one of the first times that they have used outright fear as a protective tactic.

Thanks again for the review. (: I hope that you enjoy the next chapter.

 **bryan mccloud** : Well Wrok is a hidden runner (troodon) and not a fastrunner (Oviraptor) but we will indeed be seeing more of Chronos and Logos in this story. Though I probably really should make a crack fic with them in it. I suppose their will be plenty of opportunities to do so in the next season of the fanfiction prompt challenge.

 **AltCode** : Thank you very much! I would like to apologize for the slower speed of posting chapters for this story, but I do hope that Historian and I can maintain a more constant posting schedule. Due to parts of the story being from a roleplay and the numerous interacting plot points this is a story that takes a bit longer than my previous offerings in order to prepare.

 **gordhanx** : Thank you for the detailed review as always. As for how the pack handled Hano, they are now in a situation where they have to make an impression on those who would threaten them and this requires some deterrence through the cultivation of fear. Not to mention, as you shall see, there was another purpose behind that particular act. A purpose that will soon serve their allies in the Great Valley quite well.

 **Nimbus01** : Thank you very much for the review. (: I am glad that you are enjoying the characterizations of the new and old characters alike. Though this story is not being written as fast as its predecessors I think that a lot of that relates to the fact that there are many conflicting character motivations in this story that requires much explanation and careful characterization on my and Historian's part. I can only hope that we are able to maintain this as the story continues on.


	25. Chapter 21: A medical situation (part 1)

**Chapter 21: A medical situation (part 1)**

" **The diplomatic mission to the hidden runner lands continues with little to report in terms of unforeseen occurrences. Flyer support has allowed us to avoid detection from predators despite the relatively open terrain.**

" **Of some concern to the Commander and I is the delay in the upcoming discussions and observations. Through communications by flyer could be commenced in mere hours, no flyer could make the observations and deductions that will be needed here. Not without violating our directives as Consortium officers.**

" **Little is known concerning how the hidden runner culture handles internal conflict and enemy combatants. If their development is of the typical path for sapient omnivorous terrestrial species then, to borrow a physiological metaphor, Wrok might be a symptom rather than the illness itself.**

 **But as with any medical situation, gathering accurate information is the most important step."**

 **~Officer Chronos, Supplemental Entry on the Hidden Runner Civil Conflict**

* * *

Consciousness always had a way of coming back slowly to the fastbiter on warm, humid days such as this. With his mate appearing to be one with the water and with the peacefulness of the territory welcoming prolonged slumber he was quite comfortable to lay with her until the inevitable insult from their purple overlord sent them back into consciousness.

That was when he realized something: his mate was not present.

With extreme reluctance Leap forced himself awake. That was right, his mate had gone with several of the others to help their allies in the barrens. The peacefulness of their territory might have been coming to an end. And, with it, the luxury of prolonged slumber.

It was time to greet the day. Though perhaps it could wait a few more moments...

"Does he usually sleep in this late?" a small male voice echoed from somewhere in the black haze occluded by his closed eyes.

"Quiet," another, female, voice hissed in warning, "We don't want to wake him up. That wouldn't be nice."

"We could wake him up!" a much more familiar voice called. _Fisher… of course. Sometimes, son, I think you hang around with Taunt's kids too much._

"I call dibs on hopping on his head!" Pounce's voice called as if on cue.

 _See what I mean?_

"You're going to get us in _trouble_ ," the female voice said again, this time sounding somewhat afraid.

"Oh, Fisher is used to that," Leap's daughter noted, "Don't worry, brother; I will be watching from a safe distance when Daddy tosses you again!"

"Maybe you can dodge me this time, _Dodger_!" Fisher's voice mocked his sister. The namesake of a certain fastbiter the first two young biters were quite familiar with.

"Oh, here we go…" Verok's voice noted with exasperation. Leap tried to hide a tail smile at his other son's sarcastic words. So the usual suspects for obeying the rules were still trying to prevent the inevitable.

" _And your friends' parents thought we were bad..."_

Leap shifted a bit as he listened to the young ones, not wanting to interrupt their banter. He now recognized the voice as Ungu's. _Ah… now that is an interesting accent. But being with hidden runners it makes sense for you two to know it._

"What did you call my parents?" Biter suddenly demanded, an embarrassed tone in his voice.

"That was hidden runner, not leaf-eater, Tail-biter," Swipe's mocking tone echoed from somewhere near Leap's tail, "She didn't call our mommy and daddy tiny biters."

The laughter from Taunt and Cera's kids was almost deafening before both Verant, Ungu, and some of the flyer children shushed them loudly. _Great, it sounds like all of the little ones are here._

"Well…" Biter sounded embarrassed, "What did she call our parents?"

"She didn't call them anything," Gyors said, "She basically said things were never this crazy back home."

"No disrespect, Gyors, but your home sounds boring," Ambush's voice noted as Leap opened his eyes to observe the little congress of fuzzballs directly. They were so preoccupied with their discussion that they did not notice.

"It kinda was," Gyors replied, "Then all my friends died."

Silence descended over the little ones as Leap held back a gasp at the little biter's matter-of-fact retort. It was a horrible reminder of what he and his siblings had gone through. A pain all too raw and unknowable for the pack's children. Leap knew he had to speak before…

That was when Biter and Swipe both bowed in apology as the others followed as if in unison. It was a display that left the two siblings in shock. Leap allowed himself a sad smile. At least the little ones knew when they crossed the line.

" _Forgive them, Gyors and Ungu. They spoke without thinking._ "

Nearly all of the children jumped in surprise, running to various bushes as several near-collisions occurred. Ambush, Gyors, Ungu, and Biter did not move, however.

Gyors responded with a look that suggested he was pretty sure they did quite a few things without thinking, such as speaking loudly around sleeping adults. Ungu, meanwhile, looked at embarrassed at having woken Leap up despite her best efforts keep everyone quiet.

Looking back at Ambush and Biter, Gyors was surprised to see Ambush nearly touch the ground with her snout as she gave an apologetic sag with her tail. It took him far longer than he wanted to admit to recognize it and remember its meaning, but once he did he hurriedly indicated for her to stand back up.

Leap watched the scene play out in silence. He did not intervene until Taunt's daughter was again standing and Gyors was at ease.

"Sometimes it can be hard to understand those who go through different journeys than ourselves. Even though your father and I both had overcome challenges, Gyors, we did not exactly see eye to eye at first."

Gyors gave Leap a questioning look. It was obvious he was rather confused.

"Oh, are you going to tell the story of when you were lost and found tiny biters?" Leap's daughter Tranquil asked before Dodger and Aqua quickly covered her mouth.

"Spoilers, sis!" his son Verok added for good measure.

" _What's this?"_ Gyors whispered to his sister.

" _You don't want to know,"_ Ungu whispered back. In one of the few times she'd gotten into trouble without any of her siblings involved, Ungu had listened in on her parents talking to each other about some of the things they'd been through. It was not something she ever intended to do again.

Leap hesitated. "Well, um… I can only tell tales from my times with your father, but there is one that was really important not only for me and him, but also for your aunt Mender to become the healer we all know today."

"Oh, yes! It is the tiny biter song!"

Leap closed his eyes, resisting the urge to slap his face as the sensation of numerous little biters congregating against his flesh could be felt. "Yes, children, it is indeed time for the song. The song of the great search."

" _Is this why Mom likes hunting tiny biters so much?"_ Gyors asked.

Ungu started to respond, but her thoughts were overwhelmed by the sudden sound of excited roars from all of the children upon Leap's affirmation. Shaking her head with some bemusement at the antics of the other children she gave Gyors a questioning look.

Gyros snorted as he shrugged in response. Both of the guest soon sat with the other children, awaiting a song from both this pack's history and their own.

Before Leap began his song he could have sworn he heard Ungu mutter something about "When with the hidden runners do as they do."

* * *

 **The past:**

Leap sniffed the air for any sign of the pack, but like so many times on the seemingly endless night the air gave up none of its secrets.

"Nothing."

"How likely is it that Thud would go on without us?" Dodger asked after confirming the lack of scents.

"Unless it was necessary to save the rest of the pack, never. He would never leave a packmate behind." Leap's voice was resolute.

"We nearly died, Leap, and there's no telling where this nightmare of a place ends," Dodger replied, "The pack can't afford to stay and keep looking for a pair of corpses." _I'd go after anyone that fell, but there's no reason to risk the rest of the pack. And splitting the current pack would be dangerous for everyone involved. I hope Thud get's them out alright._

Leap didn't look back as he lightly tapped the ground. He then paused and listened into the air. "The sound carries pretty well. So if we cannot hear them, then they are at least a good walk away."

"So is the only way across this river that we know of," Dodger said, wondering how far he and Leap had been swept, "Even if the pack did move on, we still have a lot of ground to cover."

Leap looked at the river with contempt. "Not unless we want to try to swim across it. It is a death trap until you get about a day's walk from here. That is where the rock path is."

"Then we best get moving," Dodger said before starting to head upriver again.

Leap paused for a moment, looking at Dodger a bit oddly before responding as if nothing had happened. "Yes, let's get moving."

 _Whoops. Forgot about rank,_ Dodger chided himself, _Well, the point was obvious. Where else are we supposed to go?_

The two fastbiter walked in silence for the better part of an hour, periodically checking the scents and sounds for any sign of threats. The only threats that they could detect, however, was the inhospitable scenery itself. A land that seemed so devoid of life as if to mock its two guests.

 _Let's see. We're stuck in the middle of the most empty stretch of land I have ever traveled. There is no food to be found in reliable amounts or locations. There aren't even any places to hide or rest that I can see. And yet Leap_ still _thinks Thud will come after us? If he does, he's risking the pack. If he sends one of the flyers as soon as they speak again, that's perfectly understandable. But setting out into unknown territory that is already unpromising in terms of food and having not found another place to retreat to later... If Thud does that I'm going to be rethinking Staza and I staying with him._

* * *

"Don't worry. We will leave no place unsearched until we find them."

Thud's words echoed in her mind, but their meaning did not register. The numbness of the situation matched the stinging chill of the night air. A reminder of what they had lost.

Swift continued to put one foot in front of the other as she forced her breathing into a steady rhythm. For the sake of her brother she could not let out the shrieks that threatened to escape her. Shouting her grief into the air would only confirm to herself that all was lost.

She had to believe there was hope. She had lost one brother; she could not lose Leap as well.

Reluctantly she looked around for any sign of life in the dark void that surrounded them. Not a single scent radiated from the darkness but their own. Not a single sound echoed but their footsteps. Only the moist air gave them company, like a suffocating blanket.

That was when her eyes briefly focused on Tracker. The green fastbiter was trying to avoid showing what she was thinking, but her scent was making the endeavor pointless.

Swift grew uneasy as the tell-tale scent of frustration was tinged with the acrid smell of anger. They could not let their emotions get the best of them now!

She opened her mouth before quickly closing it. Despite Leap's conversations about what happened in Calin's pack, and the obvious drama in Seeker's pack, she knew rather little about Tracker as a person. Was she prone to anger when the situation was dire? Did she disagree with Thud's strategy? Being on the verge of collapsing herself she had no idea how to proceed.

But she had to try.

"D-do you have any idea where Verant would go?" Swift began uneasily speaking to the other fastbiter in a hushed voice, "If- When he got out of the river… I mean?"

"If he follows the advice he gave me if I ever got lost, he'll follow the river back towards us," Tracker responded, her tone tinged with barely concealed frustration.

Swift froze. If that was true and they were going in the other direction…

"My… my family always said to shelter in place," Swift blurted out, suddenly unsure.

"Dodger's never been one to assume a rescue is coming," Tracker replied.

Swift resumed her pace despite her uncertainty. Quickly looking in Thud's direction only to see him focused on the terrain ahead, two towering hills that looked like voids in the star-filled sky.

She could only hope that they were going the right way.

Swift took a deep breath. _I can cry later. I must focus now._

"Has your brother been through something like this before?" She hesitated when Tracker suddenly stared at her, not realizing that her own concern for her brother was bleeding through into her speech. "W-we need to know what he has been through if we are going to guess what he will do. I know my brother, but… I don't know your brother well."

"He's not my brother," Tracker gently reminded Swift, "He survived getting swept down a river when he was nine, and he jumped after me when I fell into another river not that long before I met you guys the first time." She moved a bit closer to Swift. "They're going to be fine."

Swift took a deep breath as she looked down. Was she that transparent?

"I… my siblings only had two escapes. One when our parents… and the other from _that_ pack. I wish that I had your confidence."

"Verant's survived stuff I thought was impossible. Sometimes it took him a few days to make it back, but he always came back," Tracker said, "This time won't be any different."

Swift could hear the reassurance in the other female's voice, but also the hint of uncertainty. It was the hesitation of one who always knew that the next struggle could always be their last.

She looked back towards Thud who was again sniffing the air. Had he found something?

"We both came out of a bad place before," Swift reluctantly referred to Calin's pack once more, "But we came out separately. If our loved ones are going to get out of this then we have to do it together."

Swift tilted her head. "I think you should tell Thud your objections. The more that he knows about you both, the better he can decide what to do."

"What objections?" Tracker asked, sounding rather startled.

Swift gave the slightest hint of a smile with her tail despite the desperation of the situation. "I have made that same scent before. I know what it means."

"We need to be going faster. At this rate we're going to be stranded out here with them," Tracker explained, wanting Swift to understand why she was frustrated, "Going this slowly, we should've just waited for help."

"But how far should we run? We have no idea where they could have gotten out of the river. It could have been down there, or someplace in the barrens, or…" Swift trailed off.

"Until we find them or run out of river," Tracker replied, "There's not that many places to look."

Swift nodded. "Let's tell Thud."

"Tell me what?"

Both Swift and Tracker nearly stumbled over themselves as the green fastbiter stood in front of them with a concerned glint to his eyes.

"Staza had an idea, sir," Swift spoke quickly.

"Um..." Tracker was suddenly at a loss for words. There just wasn't a good way to tell your pack leader that you disagreed with how he was doing something. "Why don't we just follow the river, sir, rather than keep looking around?" she finally blurted out, "I doubt they would be far from it."

Swift watched Thud's expression turn from annoyance to something unreadable. "If they have gotten out in the barrens and we miss them…" The warning was obvious. If they ran past some sign of them then they may not find them in time.

"If they went out into the barrens, they're already dead," Tracker replied, struggling to keep her tone respectful, "There is nothing out there." She gestured at their surroundings.

Swift cringed as the two fastbiters maintained eye contact. She didn't realize she was holding her breath until she gasped.

"I think she has a point, sir," Swift blurted out without thinking. It was only after she had spoken that she realized that Thud's attention had turned towards her. Despite her trepidation she held her gaze as piercing, yellow eyes appeared to stare into her soul.

Finally he nodded. "Alright. We all know what is at stake here. If that is the pack consensus… then I will follow it. But we need to hurry."

Thud took a deep breath as he listened to the stream some distance away. No sound but its gentle waves called to his ears. An affirmation of the choice they had made.

"We move until the Bright Circle comes up. We stop and listen only for breaks. We sniff while we run. Got it?"

The response was immediate. "Yes, sir!"

In an instant the gentle sound of the rushing stream was joined by the sounds of trampling feet, shifting rocks, and loud breaths. For several moments the sounds joined in a kind of crescendo, a song of muscle and bone, water and rock, hope and despair. It was only with the passage of the three dinosaurs and the trailing away for the accompanying sounds that the stream's gentle waves again rose to prominence among the sounds of the night. It was as if the dinosaurs had never been there at all.

* * *

 **Seeker's Territory:**

Violet had no idea why she had agreed with Spike and Taunt to challenge Cera and Petrie to a bet. Though, now that she was paying the price in fish, she could only assume that some kind of momentary stupidity had come over her. _Perhaps I caught it from Taunt?_

She quickly grabbed one of the tasty morsels in her mouth before adding it to her pile. Though she would have rather be lost with her thoughts the boastful nonsense of the males made such wishes a forlorn dream.

"So… the next question is: do we wake up early for the hunt or try to hunt after our mates are asleep?"

Spike's question was muttered as if it were the most regular occurrence, and not a conspiracy.

"That depends on if you would get up if someone shoved you," Taunt replied jocularly, "You seem to be well acquainted with the Land of Sleep Stories."

"And you are well acquainted with running your mouth!" Spike rolled his eyes as he tossed a fish at Taunt's head.

"One of my better qualities!" Taunt retorted with a smile.

 _They're being way too carefree about this,_ Violet thought as she listened to her companions insult each other, _They do realize there's a chance of getting killed, right? As in, one mistake means getting killed, not a freak accident. What have I gotten myself into?_

Violet sighed. _Why did I let them talk me into this? Going after a longneck, even if it isn't an adult yet, with just the three of us?_ To Violet, trying to regain the respect of the pack as well as herself after the bet she and her companions lost seemed foolish. It was impossible to regain what she never had. _The only respect we're going to get from the pack is respect for the dead._

"Having fun being nervous over there?" Taunt asked playfully as the death scream of another ground fuzzy could be heard, "I can smell you over the blood. What's wrong?" he asked more seriously as he stopped his ground fuzzy hunting for a moment.

"Nothing," Violet replied. She tried to distract herself by looking for more fish. _Well, this is lucky,_ she thought as she snapped at and caught a fish that swam by. "Well, that's my last one." _And there goes my excuse. Darn._

"Doesn't smell like nothing," Taunt prodded.

"Oh, leave her alone, Taunt. She is probably concerned about the hunt," Spike muttered as he got another fish in his pile.

Taunt shrugged. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"Well, we all could die," Spike replied with a laugh.

"Such is hunting, oh rotund one!" Taunt had the foresight to duck before Spike tossed the fish in his general direction, "If we are smart, however, we have nothing to worry about. Longnecks do not do well in pitch black. If the worst comes then we can simply scatter into the dark," Taunt spoke more seriously. It was not lost on Spike that Taunt was directed those words to Violet.

"That didn't work so well for me last time I tried that," Violet said. _Then again, there is a difference between spiketails and longnecks._

"What exactly did you do?" Spike asked with some curiosity.

"I ended up on the wrong end of a spiketail's swing."

Spike noticeably winced. "In a hunt for a single prey?"

"The one we were going after wasn't that close to the rest of the herd. Turns out spiketails are faster than they look. Almost got my leg broken for that." _And my brother nearly got his neck broken saving me._

Spike nodded. "We will need to make sure that our prey is alone. And make a distraction at the other end of the family…"

"Going over the lower-ranked pair, eh?" Taunt inquired.

Spike shrugged. "Seems better than getting killed. Why the fuck do longnecks focus so much on status anyway? Seeker was never that way."

Taunt shrugged. "Then again, Seeker was never normal. He befriended a two-footer while he was still the food."

"So did I," Spike noted.

"Yeah, but you did it because you were acting stupid. Seeker did it because…"

"Heads up!" Violet yelled in warning.

 **Smack!**

Taunt suddenly fell silent as the fish flopped under his body, Violet's last fish in order to pay off her bet to Spotter. In the hush that followed Violet looked mortified while Spike grinned with his tail.

"Ha! Perfect timing, Mender!" Spike laughed to himself, "And I am done as well… wait, you have one more than you need," Spike noticed upon looking at Violet's pile.

"I was still kinda hungry," Violet admitted, embarrassed. _I should've just left it in the water._

Taunt smiled at the new scent. _She didn't even mean to do that… oh, Mender. Sometimes it is better to feign guilt than to admit error._ "Well I have one more fuzzy to go, so perhaps you two can let Stern Claw know that I am almost done." Taunt knew that it was an opening for Violet to walk away and relax a bit.

Violet hesitated, not quite sure what to do. She wanted out of the awkward situation she was in, but she was still more than a bit intimidated by Cera, which could lead to another awkward situation. _I really can't do anything right. I make myself confused just thinking. I'm sure Haven would find this funny, though._

 **Thump!**

"Hey, what was that for?" Violet asked indignantly. She didn't like surprises at all, including flying ground fuzzies.

"Revenge!" Taunt replied playfully as he gave a 'smiling' gesture with his tail, "But, anyway, I think everyone has their catches so let's hurry up and get this over with. My mate is not gracious in victory."

"And you are?" Spike retorted.

"I am just as gracious as you are," Taunt responded.

"That bad, huh?" Spike grabbed two of his fish before preparing to head off.

"When is Spotter supposed to be back?" Violet thought aloud. _I really don't want to have to move my catch if don't have to._

Taunt stopped for a moment. "That… is actually a good question. It should not have taken him this long to send the message." He reckoned the relative time based upon the location of the Bright Circle. "Maybe he got to chatting with them. They would use him if they had a message for us, you know?"

"Still unusual," Spike noted as he looked at the location of the Bright Circle as well.

"Should we be worried?" Violet asked, immediately thinking of less than pleasant reasons for a delay, a bad habit of hers that she wasn't making any progress in breaking.

* * *

Littlefoot sighed as the others gave him odd looks as he left them to their own devices. He was taken a bit aback when Petrie arrived and, rather than openly welcome the kind greetings, he merely nodded respectfully and requested a private audience with him.

 _A private chat with a flyer seldom means good news. What could have possibly happened in four days?_

"Alright, Spotter; I think the stream is far enough. What was it that you wanted to talk to me about? Is Verant alright?"

Littlefoot watched with some curiosity as the flyer opened his mouth, before quickly closing it. It was obvious that Petrie was considering his words carefully. He remained silent for several moments before finally speaking.

"Me not send your message. Something much more important happen."

Littlefoot took a deep breath. For Petrie to abandon or delay his mission meant that something was indeed amiss. It also meant that Dodger having a nervous breakdown was not the problem in question.

"Are they alright?" Littlefoot asked quickly. He hoped that his instincts were wrong.

Petrie hesitated for a moment before shaking his head slightly. The sudden slump of his shoulders communicated all that Littlefoot needed to know.

"Which one?" Littlefoot spoke softly as his tail twitched in agitation. His mind was in overdrive. He quickly processed how long it would take for the pack's healers to sprint that far and began to think about the possible strategies. As leader such a mind was both his blessing and his curse.

"Leap and Verant. They fell," Petrie said sternly, which made Littlefoot freeze in shock. The flyer continued as if he read his friend's mind, "No one see body, but they go into river."

Littlefoot took a deep breath, trying to steady his racing heart as he mentally cursed fate. Both of them had come through so much only to possibly have been sent to their ancestors at far too young of an age.

Petrie clicked his beak uncertainly. "They ask me to call in favor with dead-eater flyers. Me do that before coming back."

Littlefoot sputtered, "Are they trying to finish the river's job?" The reputation of the carrion eaters was well known.

"Me call in favor," Petrie replied carefully, "Their own search not go well."

Littlefoot took a deep breath as he turned and looked at the setting Bright Circle, "How are Swift and Staza taking this?"

Petrie grimaced. "As well as can be expected."

* * *

"Oh, look! There is Spotter!" Taunt noted happily as he looked towards the river. Or rather, he tried to speak, but with the four ground fuzzies in his mouth it came across as a muffled growl. He had fallen behind the others as it was most difficult to carry all of the ground fuzzies in one attempt. In fact, none of the others had bothered to attempt the feat.

As they got closer Violet thought she could hear voices. _What am I... not good._ "Guys, hold up," she hissed, keeping her voice down almost as if she were on a hunt. Her own stop was abrupt enough to have Taunt run into her. "Sorry."

Taunt was not upset but merely looked at her with a tilted head. Spike made a similar gesture, but remained silent.

Not wanting to risk making any more noise, Violet tapped one of her ears and held up two claws. _I hope they get what I'm saying; it's not like something you and your brother made up for being silent is instinctual. Is it?_

Taunt looked at Violet as if she had grown a second head. _I will have to talk to her about pack signals at some point…_ Nonetheless he did get the general idea that they needed to be silent.

"Yeah, there are two people there," Spike whispered, barely audibly. He too understood that Violet wanted them to be silent, but he did not understand the specific significance of the two claws, except as a signal that two dinosaurs had been seen.

"I think I heard Spotter and Seeker," Violet whispered, "Should we head back?"

Spike tilted his head. "Well… they are not at Seeker's sleeping spot... do you think they are discussing something we aren't meant to hear?"

"Do you want to find out the hard way?" Violet asked, "If it's important we'll find out soon either way."

Taunt nodded as he grabbed a ground fuzzy that fell from his hands. Wordlessly, he gestured for the others to follow him. They could take the long way to the others if need be.

Violet started to follow but stopped when she thought she heard something. _What are they..._

 **Leap and Verant…..**

She struggled to hear as their voices faded into the background.

 **They have dead-eaters look for them.**

 _Oh no._ She tried to calm herself before she gave away what she heard. _I really wish I hadn't heard that._

"What is it?" A soft hiss came from Spike as he went to her side. Taunt, not seeing the incident, continued to go into the wooded area to get to where the rest of the pack was believed to be.

"It's nothing," Violet said, denying that anything was amiss. _Well, Leap is probably dead, and the rest of Thud's pack is not doing well because of it. Dod-Verant should get back, okay. Leap better hope he was serious about not hurting him._

Spike did not believe her, smelling the subterfuge in her scent, but he kept quiet. He could also smell the hint of concern and fear.

"Ah, there are the defeated braggarts!" Cera's booming voice called from the clearing.

"Looks like your mate's mouth is full!" Breeze noted, "How do you enjoy the silence?"

As if on cue the ground fuzzies were dropped on the ground. "Silence is over!" Taunt replied playfully, "I would not want to deprive you of my wonderful voice, my dear!"

Cera groaned. "One day, Taunt, you will learn some humility."

Taunt gave her a playful nip on the tail before darting off into the clearing. "You keep telling yourself that, dear!"

"Here are some of the fish." Spike dropped his catch as well. "I have a few more to gather."

"Just take what you need out of my pile," Violet said, "It won't take me long to catch a few more." _Hopefully I'll get to be alone for a while, and I'll get myself under control. Ugh, I hate my ears sometimes. I hope they're all okay. How exactly did they get separated? If Finder had shut up maybe I wouldn't be wondering what was going on. Augh. It's not like I can go ask Seeker about this. I wasn't supposed to hear._

As her attempt at discreetly leaving fared as well as her usual attempts, it did not take her more than ten seconds before Ruby and Ducky were on either side of her.

"Are you feeling alright, Mender?" Ducky's voice whispered.

"I'm fine. I just want to be alone for awhile," Violet said. _Maybe if I don't entirely lie she'll believe me. There's a reason I don't lie in the first place; everyone knows when I'm doing it._

"You want to be alone for awhile, but I think you want more than to be alone," Ruby acknowledged as she placed a hand on Violet's shoulder, "Just remember that we are here if you want to talk."

"Thanks," Violet said before heading away from the two fastbiters as quickly as politeness would allow. _If I stay near Haven for too long she'll know everything; she always manages to make me talk._

Violet started to fish, like she had said she'd be doing, but even she could admit she was distracted. _Staza would be embarrassed if she could see me now,_ she thought after her fifth miss in row, _I hope everyone is alright. Maybe I should've listened longer... I still don't know exactly what happened. At least it sounded like they just got lost_. _There's no point in thinking about what to do. That's not my decision, and I'd be useless anyway. I can't smell that much and would probably just get in the way._

Violet finally forced herself to calm down and walked to another part of the stream. "Maybe I'll actually catch something now."

 **Thump! Thump!**

Violet instinctively cringed before actually spotting Chomper. _Oh, it's only you. I guess I'm more shook up than I thought._

"Good evening!" Chomper growled, as Violet nearly jumped in a scene that would have been comical if it had happened to a leaf-eater, "Nothing on the border except an old threehorn. It is beak-face's turn to scout if he is back." Chomper laughed, creating a growling sound.

"I'll look for him as soon as I've gotten the last of his fish," Violet said, "I only need to catch one more."

Chomper looked down at her with some amusement. "Based upon your smell it isn't the last fish. Either you are lying and you already caught them all, or you are lying and you need to catch more than one more. Which is it?"

"I let Finder take a few so I could have some peace and quiet," Violet said, unintentionally allowing her frustration at not being left alone, her inability to help her family, and her current failures in catching fish to make her sound far angrier than she actually was, "Now I've got to catch some more to replace those. I had an extra, so I only need one more now." _And you, Mr. Thunderfeet just scared them away._

"Suit yourself," Chomper replied nonchalantly as he suddenly looked up. "Look, there is Spotter!"

"Well, darn," Violet muttered, focusing on her frustration at not catching that last fish. She really didn't want to think of why Spotter was back now.

"Seeker looks upset," Chomper noted aloud as he began to walk towards the clearing.

"He wha..." In her surprise, Violet tripped and fell into the water with a, to her ears, rather loud splash.

Chomper ignored the splash, being transfixed by the uncommon emotional reaction of his friend. It did not take long for the command to be issued.

 **Roar!**

Roughly translated in sharptooth the roar meant: _Everyone gather around. The leader has an important message._

"That can't be good," Violet said. She shook herself dry and headed in Littlefoot's direction. _I_ really _wish I hadn't heard anything._

Violet wasn't sure why she hurried, but to her surprise she beat several of her packmates to the meeting place. She found an empty spot as far away as permissible from everyone, unsure of her own reaction and worried that she might not react correctly since she was pretty sure she knew what the message was about.

It was then that she felt someone nudge her.

"What is this about?" Taunt hissed in her ear, "Seeker looks awful."

"How should I know? Do I look like Ponder to you?" Violet nearly snapped. _Okay, I am way too irritable. And overreacting. Gotta calm down._ "Sorry. My fishing kinda didn't go so well," she apologized. _Well, at least I'm not lying._

Taunt sighed, "What did you hear, Mender? You knew it was Seeker talking."

"What makes you think I understood what was said?" Violet asked. _Other than that I could repeat some of it back to you word for word, something I normally can't do; it's that disturbing._

"Alright ,everyone. I just got the update from Spotter," Littlefoot paused for a moment before sitting down, a nonverbal gesture for the others to follow.

Never being good at faking anything, Violet couldn't stop herself from cringing in anticipation of what Littlefoot was going to say. _I already feel sick about this, so why am I still worried? It's not like the whole pack knows I already overheard this._

"Spotter was unable to deliver his message… because of the situation in Thud's pack."

Violet nearly bit her tongue to stop herself asking Taunt if he was okay. _Of course he's not okay, with a jolt like that. And it's going to get worse._ She tried to distract herself by looking at the rest of the pack's reactions. Unsurprisingly, she could see quite a few displays of worry, some better hidden than others.

"The pack was looking from a cliff face, and some of them nearly fell. Leap helped Verant up the cliff, but they both fell. They fell into the river."

Violet stared at Littlefoot in undisguised horror. _If they fell and Spotter said they're using carrion flyers to find them... that would mean Verant's d-dea..._

* * *

Taunt opened and closed his mouth as he tried to process the horrible news that had just reached the pack. It had been only four days… four days. And now two of their comrades might have very well have met a horrible end. He could only imagine what Swift and Tracker were feeling. To say nothing of...

He blinked. _Mender._

He barely had time to move into position as Violet swooned in his general direction. Collapsing against him as if catatonic as she looked upon the proceedings blankly. It was only when he reluctantly gave his pack leader a nod that he continued. There was no reason to prolong the inevitable. Best to get the harsh news out as soon as possible.

"They… they haven't found any bodies. And they haven't smelled them. So that means that they might be alive. The river goes into the barrens…" Littlefoot sighed as Ruby and Ducky went to Violet's side in a show of support. "Thud says that they need some healers if… for when they are found."

"I will go," Taunt spoke without really thinking.

"You're not a healer, Taunt!" came the immediate response from his mate. It came out as a frustrated growl but for once he was not trying to antagonize her.

"No, but the healer will do better with some muscle if things get rough," Taunt noted, "Someone who can focus on other things while you focus on healing our friends."

While Taunt made his proposal to the pack Ducky briefly checked Violet's breathing. A quick examination of her chest expansions indicated that it was not of concern. Since when was Violet calm?

"I can go as a healer," Ducky noted with a sigh as she turned her focus back to Littlefoot, "That would leave us one for the pack and…"

"Haven, I'd like to go," Violet interjected, giving the other fastbiter a pleading look.

Taunt blinked, for a moment not believing what his ears were telling him. But as he turned around and saw the gazes of everyone else on Violet he could determine that his ears had not deceived him.

Ruby looked at Ducky with concern before turning towards Violet again. "Mender? Maybe you should lay down for awhile so that you can think for awhile."

Taunt, meanwhile, was looking straight into Violet's eyes. There was fire there. A drive that he understood all too well.

Violet had made up her mind.

"Are you prepared, Mender?" Littlefoot asked suddenly, nearly making Taunt jump in surprise at the brown fastbiter who has seemingly appeared at his side. A quick glance in Taunt's direction told him that his leader had seen the same thing that he had.

There was no turning away when family was involved.

"I'll have to get my stuff, but it shouldn't take long," Violet told Littlefoot, her face contorted in determination as all shakiness departed her features. Ducky and Ruby could only look at one another in confusion at the sudden change.

Littlefoot merely nodded as Violet sprinted off to get the "must have" plants that the pack's healers had instructed her always to carry. Leaving many confused packmates in her wake.

"Why aren't we sending more people?" Chomper growled, "I can watch the territory while we send out more."

"And invite a challenge?" Littlefoot noted. "Two fastbiters are better in a night run. A pack can attract more attention."

"Will she be okay?" Ducky asked softly, "She nearly fainted a moment ago. She did, she did."

"And now she is marching around like a threehorn on a mission. What happened?" her brother echoed her unspoken second question.

Taunt could only sigh as he turned towards Cera, earning him an affectionate nudge. In such times of crisis the importance of loved ones was heightened in everyone's mind, even those of the pack's most vitriolic pair. As soon as he saw the glint of understanding in her eyes he knew that she had read the same signs on Violet as he had.

Taunt finally answered Spike's question. "Family happened. If you knew that you could save your loved ones would you ever consider staying behind?"

Only silence greeted his rhetorical question. Everyone knew the answer.

* * *

 **Well outside of Seeker's territory, The Green Expanse:**

The fastrunner's legs burned with exertion as he struggled to keep up with the predators in front of him. The vast savannah offered little in the way of shelter from the scorching Bright Circle, but it did provide a multitude of places for a predator to hide. Though in his struggle to keep up he did not contemplate the irony of him keeping up with predators to protect him from predators.

"Not looking so good back there, Orchid! You've got to pace yourself!"

Orchid groaned at Spike's attempt at advice. It wasn't like he was built like his fastbiter companions. He was made for sprinting, not long-distance trotting. He tried to shut up the portion of his mind which sounded suspiciously like his father. _You should have thought of that before you volunteered for this, Orchid._

Orchid gritted his beak as he attempted to replicate Spike's trot with his ill-suited legs. _Perhaps I am as foolish as Nahoda after all. What was I thinking?_

"I'm not sure you were," Mender said, moving so that she was alongside him.

The fastrunner could only close his eyes for a moment as his body began to fall into a steady, if awkward, trot. "I said that out loud?"

Spike grunted from the front. "Yep."

"I heard you loud and clear," Soar's amused voice called from just above his head, making the purple Oviraptor flinch.

Orchid could only roll his eyes once his shock dissipated. "Lovely."

His one-word epilogue to his faux pas resulted in the first real laughter of the entire journey, as roars and amused growls emanated from the predators in front of him. He allowed himself a laugh at his own expense as well before realizing that he was not as far behind as previously.

His eyes suddenly found themselves focused on Mender's intense yellow orbs as she looked back in the direction of the oddly trotting fastrunner. She must have thought that he looked ridiculous.

* * *

Mender stared at the fastrunner as he jogged oddly through the verdant waves of grass. Each movement of his legs appeared to be a separate jump, as if he were hopping from foot to foot, but his forward momentum was holding.

"Orchid, what exactly are you doing?" Mender asked.

The fastrunner appeared to deflate somewhat, but he maintained his odd gait. "I don't know, but it seems to be working."

"You okay? We're not going too fast, are we?" Mender asked. _It's okay to say if you're having trouble, Orchid._

The fastrunner's eyes appeared to widen in panic as he quickened his pace despite a grimace of pain. "No! I'm fine. It's just..."

Mender glanced forward quickly to make sure she wasn't about to run into anyone or anything before turning back to Orchid. "What's wrong?"

The fastrunner sighed deeply before speaking in a barely audible voice. "I don't want to slow us down."

"Orchid..." Mender sighed. _You're going to hurt yourself like this._ "Guys, hold up," she called out. Looking back at Orchid she saw him stop and seem to have a bit of trouble catching his breath. _Orchid... why didn't you say something?_

The purple fastrunner did not answer for a few moments as he held on to his hips with his arms and stay focused on the ground, his breathing slowly becoming less labored and more regular. When he did speak it was as soft as before, but not nearly as desperate.

"I… I think how I was walking before was working. It's just… I can't go that fast for that long." He shook his head. "I didn't know you could, either. I thought fastbiters were sprinters."

"We can also go at a fast walk for a while," Mender replied.

Orchid gave her an amused look. "You have an odd definition of 'a while'. But they need our help, so I can suffer through it. I just… maybe a little slower?"

"We actually needed to stop soon anyway," Ducky offered diplomatically as she shook her right leg, "The leg burns were beginning to slow me down, yep, yep, yep."

"I told you staying in the same place gets you out of practice," Mender said with a laugh, "We're probably going too fast anyway. We haven't gotten reports that anyone else is seriously hurt, and we're no good to anyone if we're dead on our feet when we get there."

She watched as the fastrunner went from disbelief to concern to outright confusion.

"Huh? I mean, we're healers so we need to get there soon, right? How can I expect to do that right if I can't even be fast enough to keep up with all of you?"

"Orchid, no one expects you to get everything right the first time. And, as much as I'd like to see my family as soon as possible, we're just going to make sure everyone is alright. Last we heard, no one needs us there immediately."

The fastrunner merely stared at her for a moment before rubbing one of his legs. "So you're telling me that I overreacted and made a fool of myself?"

A loud thump registered in Mender's ears as Soar landed for a moment. "As my mate would say to the kids, 'It's part of growing up. Our mistakes teach us'."

"Even if we needed to get there as quickly as possible, Orchid, tiring yourself out before you even get there makes hard to help once you're there," Mender said, "Trust me. You get odd looks when the healer needs a healer."

Orchid merely blinked as Spike spoke as if he had read his mind. "I'm sure that's one heck of a song."

Mender gave Spike a very irritated glare but didn't reply with anything more than a growl.

"Remember healer, do no harm," Ducky teased as she attempted to change the subject. "So we have two healers and a healer-in-training. What have you been taught so far, Orchid?"

"Um… well, Mender showed me how to use a vine as a blood stopper. Cynnil told me about the calm leaf that dulls pain. That… um…"

"That's better than when I started," Mender said, "I used to not be able to tell who anyone was unless I was talking to them."

Orchid opened his beak to speak for a moment before closing it. He well remembered the song of his new pack even if he forgot some of the details.

He sighed before shaking his legs one more time. "If you learned to deal with your sniffer then I can learn to deal with my little fast runner legs. Will this pace work?"

As if on cue Orchid sprung forward in the same odd gait as before, though with an almost serene expression as he tore through the grass with ease.

The others were running beside him in an instant.

"That should work. We will just need to not stop until a little later," Ducky noted.

No words were shared between the dinosaurs for several moments as they trotted into the grass, parting it like a Fire Rock slicing through the night sky. In their new steady pace no one appeared to struggle or slow.

That was until Spike suddenly smacked his tail against his sister's flank.

"Beakface!"

"Urgh… you may have started it, Finder, but I will end it!"

Orchid, meanwhile, did the only thing that he could think of to make sense of the situation and merely glanced back at Mender. His face clearly communicated his thoughts. _What in the heck was that?_

"Oh, not this stupid game again!" Soar's laughter could barely be heard against the winds. "It is easily the dumbest thing our leader ever came up with!"

Ducky pointed at Soar before smacking Spike across the head. "Beakface!"

"Oh, come on, sis! She is pack; she doesn't count!"

"We never made an exception before."

"Hmph! You won't stay tied for long!"

 _Oh no. I can't believe this. They play this game, too!_ Mender thought in frustration.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Mender said with a groan, "I thought this was something Buse made up."

Orchid looked at his packmate as if she had called herself a leaf-eater. "What _is_ it?"

"Beakface!" both fastbiters at the front called out at the same time as their tails collided with one another.

"Darn it, a draw!" Spike muttered.

Mender shook her head as she turned to answer the fastrunner, "It's called 'Beakface'. If you see a flyer, you shout 'beakface' and hit someone that is playing with you. I've only played it once."

A smack rang out in the distance, which was followed by laughter. It was quickly interrupted, however, when the dark green fastbiter returned the favor after the now familiar call.

"You stopped playing it because it was stupid?" Orchid asked as he slowed slightly to make sure to stay out of the way of the siblings.

"Um, not exactly." Mender suddenly looked very embarrassed.

A few more calls of 'beakface' and the booming sound of slaps could be heard as Orchid continued to look at Mender expectantly.

"I, uh, kinda knocked Buse out," Mender admitted.

Orchid's expression went through a number of changes in the span of a few seconds. Starting with bemusement, and then surprise, and then finally…

Mender could only react to the fastrunner's laughter in the way that her absent packmate's honor demanded.

"Beakface!" Mender cried as she slapped Orchid with her tail, careful to not hit him too hard. She still almost knocked him over.

Orchid struggled to regain his footing as he glared at the larger fastbiter. "What was that for?" His pride suddenly getting the better of his reason, he peered towards the horizon.

"Beakface!"

Mender felt the slightest hint of pressure against her side as the fastrunner practically launched himself at his adversary. Though he landed gracefully without losing much velocity, the same could not be said for his ego.

The resulting innocent smile on his beak was almost cute.

"It's not every day that the food comes to me," Mender said jokingly, smiling back.

The smacking continued in front of them as they kept pace with one another.

"So…" Orchid began awkwardly as he mentally put what happened on his rapidly growing 'things never to attempt again' list, "what other ways do we have to pass the time? I know on the way to Seeker's we shared songs, and you taught me things. And I am out of bad jokes since Buse isn't here."

"Well, I do have a few stories you might like," Mender said.

Orchid's eyes lit up in such a way that Mender could almost imagine that Orchid was a fastbiter youngling. Despite this, Mender couldn't help but get one final little dig in about Orchid's little miscalculation earlier.

"While we're talking about things we shouldn't do, why don't I tell you a story about Staza, hard sky water, and tiny biters."

Orchid smirked though his eyes still communicated interest. "Let me guess: people die."

Mender snorted. "You see, Orchid? You're getting the hang of things already. I'm not entirely sure if it's normal, but most stories I know either end in someone dying or nearly dying."

* * *

 **Several miles away:**

Verant crouched low, eyes fixed on the fastrunner in front of him. Normally, he wouldn't even try to hunt something that could escape so quickly, but this one had made the mistake of picking up Ovie's scent. While it was unlikely the fastrunner could even get close to Ovie, Verant wasn't taking any chances. _Just a bit closer. Walk a bit closer, stupid._

The fastrunner stopped suddenly as if he had heard the fastbiter's thoughts. He quickly sniffed the air before placing his beak near the roots of a tree, inhaling deeply.

Suddenly the night was filled with the sound of running water. It took Verant a few moments to realize what the fastrunner was doing.

 _You've got to be joking._ Verant suppressed the urge to growl in frustration. _This just isn't my day._

The fastrunner stopped as he sniffed the spot again before letting out a satisfied grunt. Everyone who passed this spot would know this was his territory. Verant could only stare in annoyance as the fastrunner began to walk away.

 _You're not getting away from me._ Forcing himself not to immediately rush the fastrunner, Verant started to slowly creep after his unaware target.

* * *

Yellow eyes peered out at the oblivious fastbiter. Their luminous glow cast a cold aura in the night air as the Night Circle bestowed its radiance upon the world.

The predator had no idea that this night would be his last.

Greenshade gripped her spear as she stepped through the foliage. Her sights firmly set upon her target. He would never know what hit him.

* * *

 _Almost... almost... Now!_ Verant leapt at the fastrunner the moment it looked entirely away from him. The sensation of falling was soon replaced with that of a body collapsing underneath his bulk. Not wasting any time to subdue his now sprawled out prey, he bore down upon his delicate neck.

An aborted chirp of surprise rose from the Oviraptor's beak until it was silenced by a resounding snap as Verant twisted his head back and forth with the ferocity of storm.

Verant leapt off the fastrunner and, out of habit, made a quick check of the area while the prey stopped shaking. _Well, that's one problem dealt with. Now how do I get this back to the kids?_ He gave the dead fastrunner a considering look. _Maybe a better question is how do I get this to the kids without Ovie seeing? It might seem a bit disturbing to her. Maybe Staza and I could find something else for her..._ He continued to consider the problem as he started to drag the prey back to the pack. _Why couldn't I have found something easy like a swimmer? Never mind. That would be a very lost swimmer. Hopefully there's a river up ahead. Then we'll have another obstacle between us and Wrok's scouts. And there might be some swimmers then..._

* * *

 **Shluck!**

Greenshade slammed her spear into the predator with as much force as she could muster, sending both the spear and her body into the unsuspecting target. With a panicked yelp she struggled to break free of the scaled body as she dodged claws that appeared to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. It was only when she had run a short distance that she noticed something important.

Everything was silent.

Hesitantly she turned back to look upon her handiwork. What greeted her eyes was something that made her blood run cold. The fastbiter still lay where she had struck him down, with her spear sticking through the left side of his chest and out the other side. A pool of blood, shining crimson in moonlit night, confirmed his death for the assembled ancestors in the sky. The trail of blood leading in her direction, however, confirmed his murderer for all to see.

She looked at her hands.

The blood which stained the offending appendages felt cold upon her flesh. She had killed in hunts before and had held the new weapons of their kind on numerous occasions. But this was the first time she had killed in anger.

She took a deep breath. It shouldn't have mattered, but somehow it did.

 _Now that this is out of the way we can finish off the two-footer younglings and add Orange Death to the bodies._ _We shouldn't have to engage the packs directly._

She looked at her hands again.

" _Duty before self. Fate shows us our proper place." You always told me that, Father, but could you have had anything like this in mind?_

She hesitantly sniffed the fallen body. The acrid scent of the Orange Death hung in the air.

 _This plan will work, Wrok, but what is your ultimate plan? Death can only hang in the air so long before it comes to visit you. Will the other packs see this as a show of strength or a sign of desperation?_

She heard the others arrive before she saw them.

 _Duty before self._

"The scout is dead. You all know what to do."

The other hidden runners scattered like flying buzzers in all directions, leaving the Deputy to her thoughts. She mutely studied the body.

 _I have become a chooser of the dead, fastbiter, just like you. Soon your brothers and sisters will die and join you in the hereafter. But you only killed for food and territory. I… I guess I am doing the same… killing for my leader's territory._ _But where will that territory end?_

She quickly sprinted after the others, leaving the dead fastbiter where he lay. She didn't need to wait for a response that would never come. She already knew the answer.

* * *

Ovie heard the rustling in the grass before she saw anything. But her alarm quickly turned to relief once she recognized the tell-tale cadence of the unseen dinosaur.

She could recognize Verant's walking pattern anywhere.

"Was the hunt a success?"

Verant, in an effort to keep the prey he was dragging hidden, dropped the dead fastrunner in a particularly thick clump of grass and put himself between it and Ovie. "Yeah. I got something," Verant replied, his tone suggesting his efforts and the end result were hardly equal.

Ovie gently replaced the grass over her eggs before rising and peeking through the tall grass. Hunger had gotten the better of her. "I'm sure the children will be thrilled." Her eyes communicated that she was also quite thrilled with the idea of food.

Verant's sudden desire to keep his body in front of something caught her attention as she tilted her head with more than a little confusion. The unspoken question was obvious.

"Ovie..." Verant said with a sigh.

The fastrunner's mind quickly jumped to the wrong conclusion. "Another hidden runner? They're still after us?" She quickly crouched over her eggs as if threats were all around them.

"Not this time," Verant said, "We're safe for the moment."

Ovie forced herself to calm down as she walked toward the fastbiter. "Then don't scare me like that! What could be so much of a problem that…"

That was when she saw it. Behind Verant's leg was a bloodied purple crest. She knew exactly what that meant.

Time seemed to freeze as Ovie and Verant locked eyes on the same thing. Despite her knowledge that this was some unknown fastrunner, her mind quickly went into another place

 _Brakas…_

 _Bloodied feathers lay on the ground as if a fastrunner had lost all of his feathers in a single moment. But there was no body._

 _The predators had seen to that…_

"Ovie. Ovie!" Verant tried to get his friend's attention but wasn't having much success. "Ovie!" He considered resorting to shaking her but decided that might startle her a bit too much.

" _You have nothing to fear from me. You understand?"_

 _Ovie could only stare at the fastbiter in shock. Why would a predator spare her?_

" _A friend of the pack is a friend of ours."_

The fastrunner swallowed hard as her eyes stayed focused on the corpse. "H...He was heading in our direction?"

"He was tracking your scent," Verant said, "I couldn't let him get closer."

Ovie reluctantly nodded before slowly walking back to her eggs, not looking in Verant's direction as she spoke in a tired voice. "Don't keep the kids waiting. They need their meat."

"I could find something else for you," Verant offered.

The fastrunner looked up at the fastbiter with a sad smile.

"You need your strength, Verant. You don't need to hunt twice on my account."

As she heard the fastbiter slowly walk away, dragging the body behind him, she knew that her rejection of a second hunt would soon be ignored. Verant never left a packmate hungry.

 _Stay safe..._

* * *

 **Ignis's cave:**

Penol really wished Ignis didn't have so many visitors. It made trying to clean the entrance rather difficult.

That was when the sensation of wetness under her feet elicited an audible groan from her. She had stepped in fresh mud from the overly trampled ground. Its lack of vegetation was a testament to how many visitors came to the cavern each day.

"Not again..." Penol sighed.

"Trufar said that there is some fresh tough grass by the base of the Green Hills," a guard at the cavern's entrance offered helpfully as he continued to stare straight ahead as if he were talking into nothingness.

"Thank you," Penol said, grateful for the suggestion, before heading out to where the guard suggested. _Once I get done with this, I still have to clean the dining area. Then there's Talus's etiquette lesson. Ugh, I'm never going to get all of this done._

Penol kept up a slightly hurried pace, wanting to get back as soon as possible. The Green Hills were not too far away from the caverns, but to get enough to do a satisfactory job at making the entrance presentable would be an undertaking in itself.

"Look, mom! It's one of the…"

"Bow, dear! Like momma showed you."

 _I'm still not entirely used to that,_ Penol thought as she continued on, noticing a number of other hidden runners giving her slight bows as she passed. It was quite the departure from the days of her youth.

"So the entrance turned into a mud pit again?" a disturbingly polished voice called from somewhere behind her. She couldn't help but cringe upon hearing the Left Claw's voice.

"It happens," Penol replied, trying to sound normal, but being alone with Dravos always bothered her. _Just grab what I need and get out of here._

"Oh, indeed it does. But sometimes regular duties can be put on hold for more pressing matters." He walked in front of the younger hidden runner, stopping her forward progress, as he made a few hand gestures back towards the cavern. After a few moments he nodded before directing his attention on Penol. "There are a few trouble makers who can atone for their wrongs by dealing with the mud. No reason to waste your talents on that."

"Its part of my job, sir," Penol objected, continuing to gather grass. _Is he trying to get me in trouble?_

"It _was_ part of your job, but jobs can change," Dravos replied silkily as he began to grab some of the grass as well, giving her a smile in the process, "Though I see that you have already made up your mind. Runs in the family blood."

"Sir?" Penol asked despite herself. _What does he mean by that?_

Dravos refused to elaborate on the final point as he looked back towards the caverns. He then gestured for Penol to look as well. "What do you see, Penol?"

"Huh?" Penol was rather surprised to see three other females taking care of the mud at the entrance with a guard supervising. _What... why would they do that? I was supposed to take care of that!_

Dravos did not say anything as he watched with a satisfied smirk.

"Did... did you plan this?" Penol asked cautiously. _It seems like he knew I'd be here._

Dravos smiled. "Very good. What gave it away?"

"You were already here, and you're too important to be here," Penol said, "And the three girls you have doing my job for me couldn't have gotten there this fast."

"Correct. I had this planned for most of the day. Ever since these three decided to try to steal fish from Deputy Narqual." Dravos leaned back against a tree with a satisfied smirk. "The young ones come up with the most interesting dares for one another. Though they demonstrated more 'running' and less 'hiding' when he found them."

"So, you planned all this out for... what?" Penol asked.

Dravos shrugged. "For a little chat that has been delayed for far too long. What do you know of my purpose, First Assistant Penol?"

"As far as I can tell, you suggest things the Great Leader does not like or want to do but still sometimes agrees with you," Penol replied. _And you scare me to death on a regular basis._

"The Left Claw does what the Right Claw dares not. Or at least that is what the old adage says. It is more accurate to say that the Left Claw appears dirty so that the Right Claw can appear to be clean."

"Appear different?" Penol said in surprise, "With respect, sir, you and Ignis do not think anything alike." _Just look at how you acted with Prizo. Ignis wanted to help her. You just referred to how others would react to it. Ugh. What is wrong with you?_

"Appearances can be deceiving. But sometimes they are not," Dravos replied cryptically, "Your cousin is kind, but have no illusions that her job allows her to always act kindly. There is a reason why I have not had my head bashed in and a replacement sought, and sadly it is not my charm."

"If Ignis isn't always nice, what's your job?" Penol asked, confused.

"Suggesting things that she could think of herself, but that she would hate herself for considering." He glanced at the three hidden runners tending to the mud in the distance. "And sometimes the Left Claw acts on its own accord when it is necessary to protect her."

"Sir?" Penol asked with some alarm, taking a few steps away from Dravos.

"Those females for example." He gestured at them. "She would be overwhelmed if she had to deal with every disciplinary detail. And if the Left Claw handles the dirty work then she remains untainted. Do you think any of those three will blame the Leader for this? No, but they will blame and hate me. _That_ is my job."

"So... how does that involve me?" Penol asked, not really wanting to ask the question but realizing she was never getting out of there without asking.

Dravos stared at her with unblinking eyes. "That is entirely up to you. It depends on how much you want to risk to help your cousin and our pack."

"What would I need to do?" Penol asked. _If it helps Ignis I'll do anything._

"The current problem with the outer packs has been a long time coming. The farther away a pack the less assistance the Great Leader can offer and the less... persuasion can be brought to bear. In each Leader's reign there is trouble of some kind that must be put down. But of course you remember the saying..."

"Both feasts and leaders rise from the blood of the fallen," Penol finished.

Dravos nodded. "Harthron went through something similar with the southern packs. But putting down an upstart and showing that Fate is on one's side is usually enough to ensure that no one else dares to try. But in order to defeat Wrok we have to play at his weaknesses."

"And those would be..." Penol prompted.

"He lacks a connection by blood to your cousin's bloodline. So his only option is to show that Fate has chosen his bloodline by destroying all of you… or by breeding himself into the bloodline and merely killing Ignis. If he found a way into the bloodline then he would focus on little else."

"How is he supposed to do that?" Penol asked. _Ignis has quite a few relatives. It would be very hard to kill them all. And Wrok's done all the wrong things to make any of us like him, so getting any of us on his side isn't going to work._

Dravos shrugged. "All it would take is one family member who is as ambitious as he is. Someone who would not mind being the first mate of a new leader. Someone who might have a reason to despise Ignis. All it would take is one person to play that part."

"But what if we provided such a person, but who was always on our side? Imagine the damage that could be done by having someone close to the enemy himself."

"Why are you telling _me_ this?" Penol asked, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. _He wants me to do that? Ugh... that's disgusting._

Dravos was silent for several moments as he watched the three females work furiously on the mud. They applied grass and trampled it into the damp soil to create something that would actually support weight without making people sink into its depths. It was slow, difficult work.

"What do you think will happen to them if Wrok wins?"

"Who? Them?" Penol gestured at the girls.

Dravos nodded. "What will happen to them if Wrok manages to kill your cousin and make a move for the scrape? What kind of life will exist for the vanquished after he purges families of questionable loyalty?"

"If you planned to live at all, the best option would be to run. Wrok probably won't let anyone disappear. He'll have supporters to reward, after all."

"To reward with territory and mates," Dravos noted darkly, "The sacrifice of one might spare the lives of hundreds. But this is not something that Ignis would ever demand."

"Dravos, I... can't." Penol looked back at the girls at the entrance with a sigh. _I'm sorry. I'm not strong enough. I'd make a mistake or I'd break before I can do something to help._ "I'm not a killer, I'm not a leader, and I'm definitely not you. I'm just an assistant that gets a lot more respect than I deserve. I wish I could do more, but I know what I am and what I'll never be."

"Duty before self. Fate shows us our proper place," Dravos spoke solemnly as he watched the three females work in the distance, complaining between themselves, "Perhaps you are correct, but think about my suggestion. Sometimes Fate is showing us much that we are too blind to see. Keep your eyes open."

 _I can see just fine, Dravos. If I could help this way, I'd gladly do it,_ Penol thought, _I just know my limitations. And I don't want to die without hope of success._

Dravos gave the slightest of bows as he turned to head back to the caverns. "Good evening, First Assistant Penol."

 _Now you're just mocking me,_ Penol thought irritatedly. "Good evening, Left Claw," she replied formally, bowing as Dravos's position demanded.

She couldn't see the smirk on his face as he walked away.

* * *

 **Thanks for the reviews and continued interest, everyone!  
**

 **Keijo6** : Yeah, most of the major players are now in place. One of my concerns going forward was having too many characters for the readers to keep track of, but I think Historian and I have found a good balance. That is always a problem in complex political situations.

That is a very good observation about Wrok. He is quite open with his ambition with his inner circle as he knows they are duty-bound to follow his lead. However the ossification of the old ways is conflicting with the realities of the new times. Soon the hidden runners' cultural and political system will have to experience changes simply due to the inertia of the situation. In a way Wrok is a symptom both of the final cry of the old ways, and as a harbinger of the new ways. This leaves open the question: does he really believe in the old ways? Or is he simply using them for his benefit?

Thank you for the kind words and the review. (:

 **gordhanx** : Thank you for the detailed review as always. I hope that the current chapter lives up to the expectations that were set by the previous one. Though this story seems to be going at a slower rate than the previous ones, we are proceeding at a steady pace. About a chapter every 1 1/2 months. This is mainly due to the fact this is based upon a roleplay that is added upon on a weekend-by-weekend basis.

 **bryan mccloud** : Oh yes... I can only imagine them initially trying to take care of their younglings in a scientific manner before finding out that children are not exactly test subjects. XD


	26. Chapter 22: A medical situation (part 2)

**-v-**

 **Chapter 22: A medical situation (part 2)**

" **The problem about preparing for an outside context problem is that, by definition, it is a problem that a species could not consider until it actually manifests. Such problems are generally encountered by a group only once, and generally as a terminal crisis.**

 **The classic example is, of course, that of a primitive hunter gatherer tribe living peacefully on an island with no concept of technology suddenly encountering a giant chunk of floating metal, followed by strange creatures with special sticks that shoot lightning. But the examples are not just limited to primitive societies encountering technological ones; they can also extend to individuals encountering unforeseen situations. Part of your training as a Cadet is to prepare you for such occurrences by constantly subjecting you to new stimuli in order to build character and fearlessness even when faced with the unkown.**

 **Ultimately, however, rising from this struggle is entirely up to you. But as one of the lucky 5% to pass the Officer Corps exams, we have every confidence in your ability to succeed."**

 **~ Consortium Office Training text (excerpt)**

* * *

"Don't stop there, Dad!"

"Yeah, you haven't even gotten to the best part yet!"

Leap smirked at the restless children as he drug out his drinking of the stream's clear water. He knew how to build up suspense in a willing audience. The comparative patience of the two guests was made all the more noticeable by his children's antics.

"How much of this have you heard before, Gyors? Ungu?" Leap offered, hoping that the refocusing of attention on them would give the pack's children something to ruminate upon.

"I never heard any of it," Gyors replied. Ungu, however, looked away, too embarrassed to make eye contact.

This was noticed by more than a few of the children though Swipe was the only one to ask her the obvious question. "Are you alright, Ungu?"

"I'm okay," Ungu said, doing her best to sound normal. The last thing she wanted to do was admit to having been sneaking around when she was supposed to be asleep, even if it had been a long time ago.

Leap recognized that tone but decided not to pry into the little one's past. What child didn't listen in when they weren't supposed to? Certainly not any of his children were immune from that.

As soon as he felt the weight of Tranquil on his back he realized he had no further time to contemplate such thoughts.

"Dad!"

Leap smirked. "Alright… alright… no more stalling. Since you little ones already know the rest, why don't you lead me into the chorus? The part where the healers and Taunt met an old 'friend'."

* * *

 **The past:**

 _We've gotten pretty far, I'll admit, but we might've been there by now if the pack didn't change the plan right before we left,_ Violet thought in frustration, _I'm glad Haven's with us, but..._ She sighed.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft hiss as Taunt and Ducky both threw themselves to the ground, hiding in the tall grass.

Violet immediately copied her friends. _Did you smell something?_ she wondered, _I definitely didn't. Well, that's no surprise, but I didn't hear anything, either._

Taunt waited a moment, quietly sniffing the air as Haven did the same. It was only a moment later, as Taunt let out an annoyed grunt, that both of her counterparts rose.

"Fucking fastrunners… false alert. Let's go."

"Fastrunner?" Violet asked, curious. _If only we didn't have somewhere to be..._

Taunt shook his head as he tried to regain his former pace. "You never know when it is going to be a big runner, so you have to check… but we can't afford to have too many delays."

Ducky modified her pace to match the rest of the trio. "It could be worse; we could have a big runner helping us keep our pace. That would not be good, nope, nope, nope."

Taunt snorted. "Only bad if you trip!"

"What's a big runner?" Violet asked.

Both Ducky and Taunt shared a look before shifting their focus back to where they were running. In the end it was Ducky you answered her question. "It's like a fastrunner… but only a little smaller than a two-footer."

"And dumber than a spiketail who catches his tail!" Taunt added helpfully, "It took me a day to stop laughing at Purple Tail!"

"That is why he almost ate you," Ducky noted.

"Is there anything that hasn't almost killed or eaten Taunt?" Violet wondered aloud.

"Tiny biters and fish!" Taunt replied helpfully.

"Do not tempt fate!" Ducky retorted.

 _Apparently more things want to kill Taunt than me,_ Violet thought with a suppressed laugh, _Somehow that doesn't feel like an achievement._

Taunt noted the somewhat amused expression on Violet's face and visibly relaxed. It was the most calm she had appeared since she had received the news.

"Well, as long as I can avoid dinosaur-eating fish and Mender can avoid my father's flirting, we should be okay."

Violet gave Taunt a very annoyed glare in response before darting forward without a word.

As he watched her speed forward, avoiding his gaze with her tail as rigid as a spear, he knew that he had screwed up in some way.

The slap across his head that was helpfully given by Ducky confirmed his suspicions.

He glanced at Ducky and gave an understanding nod before speeding forward. "Hey, Mender, wait up!"

The violet fastbiter slowly began to grow larger in his vision as he picked up his speed. It was only then that he realized how fast she was going.

"Mender, please slow down! One of us needs to sniff ahead."

Violet didn't reply, but she did slow down somewhat. _Oh, sure, now you start thinking._

Taunt struggled to match her speed as he pulled up beside her, carefully sniffing the air to make sure there was nothing upwind from them. "Look, I'm sorry if I said something that offended you. I was just joking because I thought..."

"Thought what?" Violet replied surprisingly vehemently.

Taunt opened his mouth but then promptly closed it. "You were calming down, so I thought a joke would help." He offered her an apologetic nod of the head. "I guess I was better off not thinking."

"It wasn't funny, Taunt," Violet replied bluntly.

Taunt was silent for several moments, not really knowing how to react to that.

 _Wow. I guess Taunt usually doesn't have someone tell him that,_ Violet thought, almost amused despite herself, _Maybe if I told him why it wasn't funny..._

Her thoughts were interrupted by a noticeably winded Taunt. "I just figured… I mean I joke with Stern Claw like that all the time. And she isn't offended. Well… she is, but no more than usual, you know?"

"Mender is not Stern Claw!" Ducky's voice finally rose above the clatter of their running feet. "Stern Claw is mated, but she is not. And neither is Thud."

Violet looked over at Taunt, trying to gauge his reaction. The heaving of his chest as he shook his head confirmed that he was having an "I'm such an idiot" moment. Though she would not admit it at the time, she could relate.

Taunt sighed. "Sorry, Mender. My mouth ran faster than my brain."

"You can outrun your brain?" Violet asked, sounding alarmed.

"If you are Taunt, it happens," Ducky noted with a laugh.

"You slay me."

Ducky rolled her eyes. "That is Stern Claw's job."

The green fastbiter then directed her gaze back onto Mender, who showed no sign of being fixated on Taunt's jab any longer. She knew that she had to act before anyone could manage to put their foot in their mouths.

"Speaking of jobs, we need to review our jobs. Do you remember what we need to look for first when we find them, Mender?"

"Signs my brother is trying to hide an injury?" Violet replied uncertainly. She knew from experience that her brother would almost never admit to an injury no matter how painful it was.

"That. But what else? What kind of injury are we looking for?"

"What was it called... the breathing sickness?"

Ducky nodded. "We have to watch their breathing…" She tried to catch her own breath for a moment as if to emphasize that point. "...in case they breath in water. Sometimes the signs are not there until a bit later."

"Not too late to do something, right?" Violet asked, suddenly unsure of herself.

Ducky hesitated noticeably. "Sometimes it is not. In those times Chronos told us to force the dinosaur to rest and to keep the chest upright."

"Wait. I thought you guys had done this before."

Ducky was silent for a moment, silently bemoaning destroying her counterpart's confidence before their important mission. "We have healed before, but we have never healed this. But the rainbowfaces have never led us astray yet."

"Let's hope this isn't the first time," Violet said more to herself than Ducky. _Going by the pack's song, the rainbowfaces are weird. Even Taunt thinks they're weird. I wonder if meeting them would be fun._

She turned away from the others for a moment, thinking she heard something. _That sounds like a two-footer but pretty far off. We should be..._ Violet caught sight of what appeared to be the silhouette of a beak growing in the distance over the tall grass. A shadow which was coming from something that her mind said simply couldn't exist. A fastrunner that dwarfed her and everyone else in the pack. _Yikes!_

"B-big runner!" Violet stammered before starting to shift away from the big runner, even if it was some distance away. A moment later she disappeared into the tall grass.

Taunt rolled his eyes as Ducky began to slow. "Very funny, Mender. But I think we would have…"

Almost immediately after the words had left his mouth, his ears were assaulted by a shriek that seemed to come from the very ground itself. High pitched and shrill it was like a cross between a fastrunner's call and a fastbiter's victorious roar. A sound that simply shouldn't exist. A sound that Taunt had heard before.

Both he and Ducky threw themselves into the tall grass without a word as the creeping shadow of what looked like a massive fastrunner descended upon them against the reflected light of the Night Circle. Gesturing towards the others to follow his lead through the dense cover, he allowed himself a moment of contemplation.

 _I certainly hope Leap and Verant are having better luck than us!_

* * *

 **Later that morning:**

For once Dodger thought he and Leap might finally have a bit of luck. While still a bit distant, he could see a possible way across the river.

"I think we might be in luck," Dodger said with barely contained enthusiasm.

Leap picked up the pace as he strained his eyes to focus on the horizon. "It's the rocks! Finally!" Suddenly he did not feel the bone-numbing exhaustion he had felt moments before.

"Think we can make it across?" Dodger asked.

His counterpart nodded as he sniffed the air. "We should as it has not rained in a few days. The pack has made it across quite a few times. You just have to watch out for the bellydraggers."

"The... oh, great." Dodger sighed. "We're never going to catch a break, are we?"

Leap was silent for a moment before slowing his forward momentum and quieting his footsteps into soft clicks upon the barren rocks. "We need to be quiet here. If they are looking elsewhere for food, then we can go across. But I don't fancy a race with those who live in the water."

"Me either."

The rushing river roared against its enclosure like a rampaging two-footer challenging a competitor, sending torrents of water spraying against the already slick rocks. Against the stark backdrop of the barren rocks and the untamed current little was immediately visible. It was only when the two fastbiters slowly crept within a threehorn's-breadth of the water's edge that Leap caught sight of what he was looking for. A gentle click of his sickle claw alerted Dodger to the glow of red eyes in the waters below.

"That is Lorack," Leap said simply as if he were personally acquainted with everything that wanted to eat them in this desolate hellscape. "There should be two more unless he finally drove them off."

"Do I want to know why you know the name of someone that would happily eat you?" Dodger asked.

Leap shrugged as he continued to study the water. "Sometimes it is worthwhile to know where the competition lives. And… um… well…"

Dodger gave Leap a skeptical look, not believing he just asked the bellydragger its name.

Leap thought about it for a few moments before finally letting it out "...one time we kind of gave him some of our catch in order to encourage him to let us across. A peace offering."

Dodger looked around to see if there was anything for them to use as either a peace offering or a distraction. "We're going to die, aren't we?" Dodger said after his search turned up nothing.

Leap's tail sagged slightly in a frown before perking up again. "There's the other two. By the threehorn skull."

"Not good," Dodger said, "That's way too close."

Leap nodded. "They know this is where 'food' crosses over. We only need a few moments to make it across, but we will need to have something to distract them…"

Both fastbiters grew silent for several moments as they considered the area around them. Though the land around the crossing was not as barren as the areas they had transveresed in the previous day, it still provided little in the way of meaningful cover. But even if they had all of the cover of a jungle at their disposal, it was hard to evade a threat who had its eyes focused on the only way you could possibly advance. With each minute that went by the possibility of waiting until nightfall, and hoping beyond hope that the bellydraggeers were asleep, became a more promising option despite the obvious danger.

"I not find any fish 'ere, Flinter! Belly draggers must scare em'!"

"Well, if there not any food, soon then we not eat. And if we not eat, then we die."

"We cross then?"

Dodger couldn't help but stare at the arguing dinosaurs on the river bank in morbid fascination. Rising only to the height of a fastrunner's knees, their green features shone like beacons in the morning sun, leaving nothing about their location to the imagination of any predators in the area. _Tiny biters,_ he mentally groaned, _Small and stupid, but Tracker insists they're delicious. She'd love this._

"But they eat us then!"

"Then we 'ook other place?"

"But fish harder to catch than 'ere! 'Ere they slap on rocks!"

 _But you idiots just said there weren't any fish here. How stupid are you guys?_ Dodger wondered, listening to the tiny biters' discussion, _Hm, maybe we can use these idiots to get across safely..._

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Leap whispered as his yellow eyes focused on the tiny biters in the distance.

"We snag a couple as food for us and shove the rest in the water?" Dodger asked.

Leap tilted his head. "Well… they're looking for fish to land on 'ere' right?" Upon seeing Dodger's annoyed expression at Leap replicating tiny biter stupid-speak he quickly amended himself, "They're looking for fish to crash on the rocks. So what if we give them something like that? They would not see us over there…."

He pointed at a slight indentation in the ground several fastbiter-length's away.

"What if we caught a few fish where it is safer, and then gave them a little toss away from the rocks?"

"I'd rather eat the fish," Dodger grumbled but nodded his agreement.

* * *

 **Splash!**

Flinter's head turned at nearly breakneck speed as the sound registered in his ears. For the last several hours they had followed his brilliant idea of waiting for fish to crash into the rocks, but those that did were quickly retaken by the river. But the splashing further up the river… could his ears be deceiving him?

It was then that the sound of something wet smacking into the ground made the entire pack rise as one in a flurry of running feet.

A fish had landed on the rocks!

"We fish 'ere now! We go where fish go!"

He did not notice the bellydraggers moving in the water accordingly...

* * *

"We go now?" Dodger whispered as he watched the tiny biters prove they would be too stupid to exist if yellowbellies hadn't already proved it was possible to be stupider.

Leap nodded. "Let's take our chance!"

"After you," Dodger said, intentionally remembering the rank difference between the pair. _This better be worth the food we gave up._

Leap did not waste any time rushing forward, causing tiny biters to look up in alarm as the two predators came out of hiding at the same moment. Deep in the water the bellydraggers began to stir once more, but within moments it became obvious that barring a slip that both Leap and Dodger would escape from the bellydragger's clutches.

Sickle claws clicked on the first rock as Leap's tail swung wildly to the side in order to balance his next jump. In another instant he was airborne once more, taking aim at the flattest of the black rocks.

Dodger landed on the rock Leap had been on shortly after Leap left it. He paused to steady himself and wait for Leap to get a bit further ahead so he would have room to continue. _These are more slippery than I thought they were going to be. This wasn't a good idea._

Leap heaved himself off of the massive rock onto another that was disturbing low to the water. Resisting his own momentum by throwing his tail in the other direction he barely had enough forward momentum to throw himself up upon the shore, landing in a gasping heap.

Dodger made his last two jumps in quick succession. Not pausing to steady himself the last time, he landed awkwardly beside Leap, his snout slamming into the ground. _Ow. Not my best landing._

Leap sighed deeply as he forced himself back onto his feet, nearly falling back onto his belly as his feet slipped. "Let's get further on land before Lorack bites our tails."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Dodger said as he hurriedly moved away from the water. Within moments they were away from the danger of the crossing and well onto dry rock.

That was when the screaming began.

"Well, the bellydraggers found the tiny biters," Dodger said before starting to move further away from the water.

Leap froze as he surveyed the scene in the distance. Tiny biters were scattering away from one of their comrades who had met an untimely end at the jaws of one of the predators. The other two belly draggers appeared to move in to partake of further easy pickings. That was when the unexpected happened as one of them bit upon Lorack's exposed side.

"Over here, you stupid tiny biters!" Leap cried as he began to wave his arms frantically. "The bellydraggers are fighting! Now is your chance! The rocks are free!"

As if to punctuate his point the other belly dragger moved in on Lorack's other side in a coordinated attack just as he let go of his catch. This was not a fight over food, this was a territorial battle.

A territorial battle that the tiny biters were watching.

"Now, you idiots! Move!"

"What are you doing?" Dodger asked, "If they're too stupid to act, that's their problem. If they get over here they'll NEVER leave us alone."

But Dodger's retort came too late as the tiny biters began to rush forward like a flock of flyers in a sudden gust. Within moments dozens of the little predators were scampering forward towards the rocks, their small bodies making easier work of the passage than Leap and Dodger as they could use the smaller rocks as well.

"Intentional or not they helped get us over here, so helping them across is the least we could do," Leap retorted before wincing as two tiny biters fell into the water and quickly went out of sight, "Well, most of them across."

"Great..." Dodger sighed. _And here come the little idiots now._ The thirty or so little biters were practically sprinting towards them in a near-stampede. None of them even looked back to the three who were lost in the moments prior.

"Well, you just invited the dumbest sharpteeth you could possibly find to follow us around, Leap. I hope you know what you're doing." Dodger wasn't looking forward to what they were about to deal with.

Leap gave Dodger a disbelieving look. "All I did was help them across. I hardly think that…"

His words were promptly interrupted by one of the little biters bowing impossibly low while the others did the same as if they were caricatures of the first one.

"You help us, Big Biter! We follow you now!"

Dodger closed his eyes in exasperation. _Ancestors give me strength._

* * *

"Is he gone, Spotter?"

Ducky listened intently for her friend's answer as she clung to the tree. Though they had not smelled the insufferable predator for several hours, the coming of daylight allowed Petrie to put them at ease.

"No sign of Purple Tail. Me think he gave up and went to sleep somewhere."

Ducky let out a contented sigh at that. With a grateful nod in the direction of the flyer's perch she prepared to make her way down the tall tree. _I could never have done this as a swimmer, nope, nope, nope._

It took several moments but she finally landed on solid ground and looked towards the others. Violet's alert form stood in stark contrast to Taunt's lazy yawn.

"Spotter cannot see him, so he thinks we are clear."

"We're not going to get eaten?" Violet asked, sounding a bit shaken.

"He wouldn't eat us anyway. Probably," Taunt offered, "The last few times we have met he chased us off."

Ducky rolled her eyes. _That is an understatement, Taunt._ "He does not like others in his territory, and he thinks everything he sees is his territory."

Taunt smirked. "A simple plan for a simple mind."

"If he's so dumb, why doesn't something else big just eat him?" Violet asked, "They're a lot smaller, but Staza always said that stupid things like tiny biters were easy to trick. So why doesn't something eat him?"

Ducky swung her tail into a smirk. "Well, being his size limits the number of things that can eat you. And being that fast limits the number of things that can catch you. Which is good, because, as Ponder would say, big runners are not smart runners."

"But I thought fastrunners were smart." Violet was now rather confused. "Does being bigger make you stupider?"

"Well, we are all bigger tiny biters when you think about it," Taunt noted.

"Some of us more like tiny biters than others," Petrie mocked as he again took flight, "You biters okay if Spotter check for Leap and Verant? We almost there now."

Ducky nodded before looking at Taunt for confirmation. It was a reminder to Violet of Ducky's lower rank in the pack.

Taunt nodded. "Go ahead, Spotter. We will follow as fast as we can."

"We're never going to get any sleep, are we?" Violet moaned. She didn't want to admit it, but she was exhausted.

Ducky noted her tone. It was the tone of someone who could push herself for far longer if she had to, but she wasn't sure she could be effective if things went on. A tone that she had heard in herself on several occasions.

She walked up to her friend and gave her a tail smile. "We just need to get in place so that if they are found then we can help. Then we can rest."

Taunt patted Violet on the shoulder as he gave an understanding. "Even your worst efforts will be better than treating them late. Who knows? They might not need our help at all except in being found."

"I hope they're alright," Violet said, "Verant might be fine with it, but I hate the water. It makes stuff like this happen."

Taunt and Ducky shared a look.

"I am sure that they are fine," Ducky forced more certainty in her voice than she actually felt, "But maybe we can do something to help us keep awake on the way there?"

"Like what?" Violet asked, "Poke Taunt with a stick?"

Taunt shook his tail in response. "Gotta catch me first!"

Ducky rolled her eyes. "Nope, nope, nope! But I think it might be good to sing some of our songs. I was a swimmer, so I have some songs about the water that are not scary."

"How is water not scary?" Violet asked, intentionally ignoring all the reasons she'd previously heard from Tracker when she'd asked her the same question.

Ducky laughed. "You will have to listen to the song to find out! Taunt, care to lead while I sing?"

While the trio advanced into the barrens, Ducky's soothing tones appearing to hum through the rocks that they passed, Petrie's journey was about to uncover a most unwelcome discovery.

* * *

The blue sky appeared to pulse with energy against the desolate rocks of the barrens. To the south stood the black rocks which occluded the contents of the deeper depths from the soaring heights of the clouds. To the north and west lay an expanse of barren ground interspersed with just enough vegetation to constrain the soil. Nowhere was a territory that any sensible fastbiter pack would claim as their own.

The flyer's eyes were wide open, absorbing the all-encompassing desolation with the same subtlety that parched soil took in the first summer rains. Looking for any sign of his allies.

The possibility that they were dead was one that he forced into his subconscious. There was a time and a place for deliberate self-delusion.

Despite this, as the flight continued with no sign of any life, even Thud's pack that he knew was nearby, the flyer felt his hope evaporating.

That was when he saw it. A purple mass quickly appearing in the horizon. A purple mass advancing with great speed for a land-dweller.

 _Damn it, Purple Tail! Why don't you be stupid elsewhere?_

Despite his growing annoyance he tried not to let the appearance of the predator distract him from his greater mission. Yes, he would have to warn Violet and the others about the threat as they advanced. And, yes, he would have to try to convince Purple Tail that this land was not worth having (it wasn't). But ultimately it would be up to him to find his friends.

That was when something else caught his attention.

 _Chasing tiny biters? How that good meal, Purple Tail? At least hunting my friends make some sense._

Perhaps it was something about the way Purple Tail sprinted with purpose, or perhaps it was the way he sniffed every few moments despite the tiny biters being in sight. But something deep in the flyer's mind told him to follow the big runner.

It only took a few seconds for the entire tiny biter pack to appear in the horizon, followed by two new objects. Two objects that were moving side-by-side.

That was when he realized exactly what Purple Tail had caught the scent of.

His alert call erupted into the morning sky. The lost ones had been found, and they were in trouble!

* * *

 **Caw!**

 _What was that?_ Tracker wondered. She glanced around to see what might have made the sound.

In that exact instant Thud and Swift came to the most abrupt stop possible without falling face-first into the ground. The dusty soil erupted in a snow-like flurry around Tracker as she struggled to replicate their maneuver, her confusion quickly turning into concern.

Thud's foot stomped twice. It was a silent command that brokered no disagreement.

 _I guess the sounds mean something to Thud,_ Tracker thought, _I hope it doesn't mean we have more trouble._

The alert calls repeated in a rhythmic pattern. One and then another. One and then another. For a moment Tracker thought that it was just a repeat of the previous call, another mindless vocalization from a flyer. But Thud seemed to hang on every call. That was when another series of two calls was cut off, followed by a louder call.

"That's Spotter," Thud confirmed as he listened for another moment in a tense contortion of a posture, as if on the verge of jumping into the sky. That was when Petrie again called twice.

The resulting leaps from both of her counterparts made Tracker hurl herself backwards out of surprise.

"He's found them!"

"What?" Tracker blurted out in surprise. _Are they okay? How close are they?_

Thud looked in the direction that the flyer's call had emanated from and prepared to make a call of his own.

That was when a torrent of calls echoed in their ears, followed by a volley of distant screeches that Tracker could recognize.

"Apparently Spotter also found lunch," Tracker said, recognizing the panicked screams of tiny biters. _Hopefully we can find some of those as well._

Swift did not move. "Something's wrong."

It was then that the screeches were drown out by a deafening screech that clearly emanated from the ground. Something that reminded Tracker of a fastrunner, yet had the deafening percussion of a threehorn's bellow. A burst that made something in her gut churn.

 _Whatever that is, it can't be good._

"Damn it! It's Purple Tail; that stupid…" Thud roared, "Come on! We have to help our packmates!"

Neither Tracker nor Swift needed any further motivation as the pack sprinted in the direction of their wayward comrades.

* * *

"What is that thing?" Dodger yelled as he tried to run faster than he ever had before.

Leap, meanwhile, could barely hear his counterpart over the thundering footsteps echoing behind them and the panicked screams of the tiny biters who had long since fallen behind. When he finally did speak his voice came out in a barely intelligible growl.

"Purple Tail! Big runner!"

"How did it get that big?" Dodger asked, but he wasn't really expecting an answer, "And how do we kill it?"

He didn't get an answer aside from a near-collision as Leap edged closer to his counterpart, barely dodging the massive beak that tore through the sky.

The Gigantoraptor's call was deafening as it protested the denial of its killing blow. Both fastbiters pushed themselves to go faster as they knew the momentary setback would not last.

"Kill it?!" Leap finally asked as the thundering footsteps echoed in the barrens once more.

"If we can't hide from it, the only other option is to kill it," Dodger replied, not bothering to keep the irritation out of his voice. It was better than sounding afraid.

Leap glanced back briefly before glancing at Dodger, his feet never letting up on their forward sprint. "Split and run? One of us… huff... as bait and the other go for its feet?"

 **Caw!**

In that very moment the big runner's forward momentum was slowed by a familiar sound in the sky. It was only when Leap saw a brown blur quickly ascend back into the skies above them that he knew the culprit.

"Run, stupid biters! Run!"

Leap growled, "Trying, Spotter!"

"Never mind the big runner. If we get out of this, I'm going to kill that flyer!" Dodger really didn't appreciate Petrie's idea of advice.

Thum, thum… thum, thum… the constant rhythm of their adversary's footsteps greeted their ears. They only had moments to make their move.

"I'll be the bait. You go for the legs," Leap's voice finally spoke with resignation.

"Just say when," Dodger replied, sounding far more confident than his packmate.

Thum, thum… thum, thum…

Leap's eyes narrowed. "Now!"

* * *

In a moment that seemed to last for an eternity, the green fastbiter suddenly veered to the left, nearly sending his tail skidding across the ground. It was the sort of ungraceful move, the kind of mistake, that no predator could resist.

And Purple Tail was no exception.

As the big runner shifted his momentum to follow the unfortunate fastbiter, he took no heed of his counterpart. He knew that the big runner who chased two often ended up with none.

But he did not see what the other fastbiter had in mind.

Dodger resisted the urge to look back as he continued his forward sprint. He had to make absolutely sure that his counterpart was the one who was being chased. If he was wrong and he slowed…

That was when he heard it. The sound of the footsteps getting slightly softer. The big runner was getting farther away. Without missing a beat he aimed himself towards the adversary and allowed his mind to focus on Purple Tail's footsteps…

Thum… thum… thum… thum…

Step by step, advance by advance, Dodger did his best to match the big runner's lumbering yet agile gait. He had to outright jump in many cases to advance only when Purple Tail did and advance towards him at the same time. But slowly but surely he noticed he was making progress as the overgrown fastrunner's calf muscles fixated in his gaze.

Only a longneck length to go…

As Dodger continued to close the distance between himself and the big runner, said big runner seemed to be doing the same to Leap. _The big runner's gaining on him,_ Dodger thought worriedly, _Come on, Leap. I've almost got this guy. I just need a little more time._ Realizing that Leap might not be able to keep ahead of Purple Tail for that long, Dodger started thinking about how close he would need to be before he could strike without worrying about discovery.

That was when Leap made another sudden turn, forming a large arc as the big runner continued to make gains. A dawning realization, a horrible realization, emerged in Dodger's mind.

 _Leap, if the big runner doesn't kill you, I'm going to,_ Dodger thought angrily as he realized that Leap was trying to help him catch up to the big runner, _Focus on staying alive._

Half a longneck…

Focused as he was on getting close enough to strike, Dodger almost didn't notice the sound of flapping wings. When he did see the familiar brown hues of Petrie he was overcome by concern.

 _Don't make him focus on me, Spotter! You could end up getting us all killed!_

But despite his fears the flyer did not make any sound as he descended upon the purple big runner. Instead he merely dove near the predator's shoulder level and swooped in front of Purple Tail's advancing form. It was just enough to slow him down.

 _Now!_

Dodger quickly closed the remaining distance between himself and Purple Tail's leg, eager to do as much damage as he could. Within an instant his teeth advanced upon the pulsing tendon in the back of the big runner's leg.

 **Screech!**

Flesh ripped before the fastbiter's razor sharp teeth, cutting a path of destruction into the purple flesh and red sinew below. It was only when his teeth caught in something that would not budge that he realized he had underestimated the fortitude of his target's leg.

He barely dodged the massive beak as it tore into the ground beside him.

 _This is going to be harder than I thought,_ Dodger thought frustratedly.

* * *

The screech of pain beckoned in Leap's mind like the call of a mother to a child. A sound of utter surprise and anguish that made something in the mind of all predators come alive in anticipation of a coming meal. The culmination of everyone's efforts.

Or in this case, their salvation from death at the Gigantoraptor's jaws.

His body veered to his right even as it refused to slow. The time to run had passed now was the time to drive home the attack.

He was quickly greeted by a volley of dust as the overgrown fastrunner appeared to attack the ground. Only the airborne blue object sailing in the other direction confirmed that Dodger had not met an untimely end. In that moment of chaos the fastbiter was the only sign of stability in a reality that had turned too surreal to process.

That was when all hell broke loose.

Purple Tail's rampaging beak appeared to be everywhere and nowhere at once as the giant beast attempted to land the killing blow on his nimble adversary. Taking no opportunity to run in a straight line, lest he open up an attack of opportunity, Dodger spun around his opponent as if he were a seed being carried in a whirlwind. The beast may have been injured, but that made him no less dangerous. It was all Dodger could do in avoiding his strikes.

Leap's eyes narrowed. There was no time for contemplation. There was only time to act.

He felt his body being carried forward, as if not under his own power, as the sounds of the rampaging Gigantoraptor carried on around him. The percussions of stomping feet and the beak cutting through air was only accented by the sound of his own breathing. He had no idea he had jumped until his claws collided with feathers and his head collided with beak.

By the time the ground broke his fall he was already unconscious.

* * *

Dodger barely had time to get out of the way as the feathered side of his adversary briefly collided into the ground with a resounding thud. Scampering claws appeared to run in place as the massive beast attempted to regain his footing. But as his head swayed and body shifted uneasily, Dodger hesitated to deal the killing blow.

The fallen body of his packmate had landed right in front of him.

 _Okay,_ now _what do I do_? Dodger thought, _Leap's not going anywhere, and the oversized dinner is already getting back up._

Dodger attempted to regain his fighting stance, leaping over his fallen comrade. His efforts were greeted with a flurry of fallen feathers as Purple Tail bolted in the other direction. His dazed mind was still apparently able to give the command to run away.

 _I've never been that lucky before,_ Dodger thought, shocked to see the big runner retreat, _Now I've got to figure out how to get Leap out of here before that thing comes back..._

Dodger hurried over to Leap. After making sure Leap wasn't dead, audibly sighing in relief upon hearing the intake of breath. That was when he took stock of the body before him.

Blood oozed from his ripped scales bestowing crimson wetness upon his green coloration. His body, meanwhile, was as relaxed as a corpse. A sign that his stunt had completely taken him from the world of the awake. He could only hope this was not a permanent and final departure.

 _Looks like he's messed up his head pretty bad. Hopefully it's not too bad, but it sure looks messy. Why didn't I ask Mender more questions about injuries before we left?_

"Leap!"

 _I guess Leap was right about Thud coming after us,_ Dodger thought after hearing Swift's voice, _Great... Why'd Swift have to be the first to see this?_

The sound of rushing feet only lasted a few seconds before they were joined by several others in the distance. But not before Leap's sister was violently shaking his side.

"Leap! Can you hear me?" Another nudge to her brother followed before Dodger suddenly had the female's face taking up much of his vision. "What happened?"

"We had a problem with a big runner. We managed to hurt it a bit, but, well..." Dodger gestured at Leap helplessly.

"Leap…" Swift moaned as she sat down upon her haunches, energy suddenly drained from her. She and the entire pack had been prepared for a fight, but now they were arriving to its aftermath. A battle that had already ended with a terrible price.

The sound of sliding feet and Thud's voice broke through his thoughts.

"Report, Verant! And are _you_ alright?"

"I'm alright," Dodger replied, "We got chased by a big runner. I guess we scared it off, but it was far tougher than we thought it would be. Leap got hurt attacking its head."

Thud noted the tracks leading away from the pack. "I should have Spotter finish the job. Purple Tail should know that _**no one**_ harms my pack with impunity," he roared in frustration before putting a hand on Swift's shoulder. His next words were as soft as they were concerned. "It's good to see you two have not gone to the ancestors. But Leap needs a healer."

Once Thud was no longer talking to Dodger, Tracker rushed over to Dodger to do her own check. She didn't believe for a moment that her mate could be completely fine while Leap was badly hurt.

Thud looked up at the sky. "Where is that flyer?"

Almost hesitantly, as if unsure if he were completely real despite the evidence, Tracker allowed herself to the slightest bit of a nuzzle with her mate. "I'm so glad you're alright."

Dodger intentionally stepped back a bit to get a good look at his mate. "Are _you_ alright?"

Tracker was taken aback for a moment. "I am now that I know that you are." She hesitated slightly as she noted her other two packmates looking over Leap. "He fell while ending the fight?"

"If he hadn't gotten that last attack in, we'd probably still be fighting that monster now," Dodger replied, "And I thought fighting two-footers was hard."

That was when a familiar flyer landed right beside the pack.

"They on the way! Me had to warn them!"

Dodger glared at Petrie, not exactly happy to see the flyer. "Warn who?"

Petrie took a step back. "Mender and Haven on the way! Taunt too! We sent healers as you requested, Thud."

Thud took a deep breath, ignoring the cold reception of the flyer by Dodger for the time being. "Thank you, Spotter. Mark our spot if you don't mind so that they find us right away."

Petrie nodded. "On it!"

 _I can't believe they sent my sister out into this,_ Dodger thought angrily.

Unaware of the mental turmoil of her packmate, Swift could only cradle her brother's head. "You stay with me, Leap. Help is on the way."

* * *

Ducky sprinted forward as she gestured at the others to follow. Petrie's announcement had staggered them all, both with hope and grave concern. "Head injury! What do you remember about those, Mender?"

Taunt quickly matched Ducky's speed as Violet fell in beside her, all pretenses of avoiding predators falling away as they focused on helping their ally in his time of need.

"Um, I know mine made me forget a lot of things," Violet replied, now feeling a bit uncomfortable.

She could see Ducky bob her head mid-run. "And it is worse if they are knocked into sleep. We need to make sure not to hurt his head worse."

"So we need to keep Leap's head from moving too much and... um... make sure he can breath, right?"

Ducky let out a grunt of agreement as Taunt picked up speed.

"There they are!" Taunt cried as he let out a loud roar to let them know they were on their way. He was quickly greeted by a roar in return.

"Should we really be doing that when there's nowhere to hide?" Violet asked, hurrying to keep up with the others.

"Strength in numbers," Taunt affirmed as he looked up at the sky, "No alert call from Spotter, so let's go!"

For once, Violet found herself looking at a scene that was almost familiar. Dodger and Tracker stood side by side in a gesture of mutual support against the concerning backdrop around them. Thud, meanwhile, appeared to assume all of the foreboding power that his position of pack leader could confer upon him as he examined the advancing fastbiters. That was when Violet caught a good look at Swift and the head that she was cradling in her hands.

Leap's eyes were closed and his head was placid as if in repose. From her vantage point it could have been death or sleep upon his features.

The pack closed the distance before she even had time to think of what they had to do first.

"Okay, Swift, we need you to keep his head upright, okay?"

Ducky's words quickly reminded Violet why she was here in the first place. Letting her more experienced friend take care of Leap for the moment, Violet tried to get some answers. "Um, how exactly did he get hurt?" she asked, not directing her question at anyone in general.

Thud paused before glancing at Dodger. "They fought that fucking big runner! Leap hurt his head in the process."

Dodger bit back a nearly reflexive retort about swearing in front of his sister before focusing back on the subject at hand. "More specifically, he ran right into the big runner's head and got sent flying. I'm pretty sure he was out before he even hit the ground."

Violet blinked. "So he hit his head twice?"

Ducky stopped as she carefully took control of Leap's head from Swift, keeping it and his body upright by allowing it to rest upon her shoulder.

"If you count hitting the big runner and the ground separately, then yes," Dodger replied.

Ducky sighed. "Well we need to get the bleeding under control first. We do, we do." She carefully examined the bleeding wounds. "Mender, can you apply pressure where you see the gash?"

Violet carefully put pressure on the wound on Leap's head with a leaf. "Good thing he's out right now," she said with a sympathetic wince, "Taunt could you hand me another leaf?"

Taunt quickly complied as he looked down at the gash on Leap's head and muttered under his breath, "That is a gusher."

The sudden intake of air from Swift earned Taunt stares from both Ducky and Violet before he again took a step back.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Violet said, deliberately not looking at Swift. It wasn't a lie; it just wasn't _always_ true. "These always bleed a lot."

As she carefully wiped the crimson fluid off of the gash, she gave Ducky a quick look to make sure that she was doing it properly. She earned a polite nod before a hand stopped her from wiping a second time.

"Let it bleed slightly and then use the no-infection leaf. Then pressure."

Dodger blinked in recognition. _The wound that bleeds clean does not become a fiend._

"How does it look?" Tracker asked, having come up to get a better view of what was going on. Swift was already circling Leap like a concerned mother checking on her chick.

Ducky waited for a moment before giving her appraisal. "How much pressure, Mender?" She applied pressure on Violet's arm, slowly increasing her push.

"About that much," Violet said almost immediately, surprise evident in her tone, "It's not much pressure."

Ducky allowed herself an exhale of breath. "That is good, it is, it is. Now it is up to him to wake up."

Having been the victim of head injuries herself, Violet wasn't entirely sure things were going to be all that simple. _He could end up a bit confused or, like me, he could end up really confused. Or he might not wake up at all. What if I got here too late?_ _Oh, what have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

 **The present:**

As soon as two hidden runners appeared in front of his beak, their faces stern, Orchid began to realize that he had missed something. With an almost helpless expression he turned towards the one to his right.

"I am here to help. Can you show me which of you is injured?"

This seemed to cause something in the hidden runner shift as he removed his grip on the stick to his side. Slowly he and his counterpart took a step back from the male. That was when he caught a clear look of what lay behind them.

The pink female was almost a mimic of his mother in a way. Or, rather, how he might have imagined his mother would have looked before he had been hatched. This female's vibrant feathers had not started their midlife fade, but yet her eyes carried a wariness that he had noticed in both of his parents. A wariness hatched from adversity and struggle.

The slight glance she gave the two orbs behind her before again staring at him spoke volumes.

 _What have I gotten myself into?_

As if to answer his question he felt a presence behind him as the two hidden runners looked up as if rising to attention. Orchid responded by slowly turning. He was greeted by the sight of two translucent yellow eyes resting upon the face of a blue fastbiter. A fastbiter that looked equal parts concerned and ready to eviscerate him at a moment's notice.

Choking down his fear, Orchid's brain put things together remarkably quickly.

"Verant?" _It's obviously Verant, you idiot. It's male and it's a fastbiter,_ "I am with Mender, sir. How can I help? And is she alright?" He gestured carefully in the direction of the female fastrunner, being careful not to gesture too far.

"She's fine," Verant replied in a not too friendly tone.

 _Hint taken._ Orchid retorted mentally as the eggs beside the female fastrunner clearly indicated the source of conflict. _I am such an idiot._

Orchid forced his face to remain neutral though he was sure that he was radiating fear. He was quickly realizing what Mender had said about being subject to one of Dodger's 'looks'.

"How can I help, sir?"

"I would suggest checking on a few of the injured here, but I don't have the time to sit around and make sure they don't eat you," Verant replied, though sounding more like he was thinking aloud.

Taking the dismissal for what it was, Orchid quickly gained some distance on the pink female and was nearly immediately run over by a distracted Ducky,

"Orchid? Do you remember how to do the calming trick?"

Orchid froze for a moment before responding. "I remember it."

It seemed that this was all that she needed to hear as he was immediately nudged in front of a small hidden runner youngling.

"He is getting the fireweed treatment after his brother. Try to calm him down."

Before he could ask for clarification the bundle of green feathers had sprinted and weaved through the assembled bodies like a snake through an outcropping of bushes, leaving Orchid to his task as if he were an expert.

The wide eyes of the little hidden runner appeared to be fixated on the fastrunner as his legs trembled as if it were the coldest winter morning. For once Orchid found someone who was radiating more confusion scent than he was even managing at the moment.

"Hey, little guy. Um…" Orchid paused, unsure of how to proceed. "How are you?"

"Okay..." the young hidden runner said, looking at Orchid oddly.

Orchid tilted his head, feeling a bit of amusement at the hidden runner's response considering he smelled like a youngling that had just escaped from a two-footer.

"Well, that's good. You smelled like you weren't okay, so I wanted to check." He gestured at the little one to raise his arm.

The younger dinosaur raised his arm. "Have you met Ovie?" he asked, starting to calm down.

Orchid noted the small insects crawling on the feathers but suppressed giving an overt reaction to the youngling's plight. He could not change what would soon be necessary, but he could help distract him in the meantime. "Um… Verant thought that wouldn't be a good idea. But I did see her."

"What are you? I forgot what Ovie told me."

The fastrunner smiled at the young one's innocence. "We are fastrunners. We are like you, except that we run fast but cannot hide well." He held up his purple arm for emphasis.

"Faster than the fastbiters?" the kid asked.

Orchid rubbed his crest awkwardly at that question. As the child's questions as gone from innocent and cute to innocent and awkward, as children's questions often did. "Um… some of us. The lucky ones." _Where are you, Haven? I'm supposed to help heal, right?_

* * *

"Yeah, fireweed isn't that bad. I've run into it a few times…"

"Does it hurt?"

"It… burns a little. But it is all worth it once the blood-suckers are off of your skin."

 _Orchid's pretty good at keeping kids calm,_ Mender thought before returning her attention back to the task at hand, _Maybe I could get him to watch Verant's kids sometime. They at least won't eat him._

"Manny has been so nervous since… it all happened." The young female hidden runner shifted awkwardly under the fastbiter's careful gaze. "I am glad that he likes your friend."

"Orchid's pretty easy to like," Mender replied.

She looked back briefly to see her counterpart apply a small sample on the young hidden runner's skin.

"See? It's not too bad… especially if you know it is coming."

"I hope that I never run into this stuff!"

"Yeah… I learned a lesson one day when I decided to try to eat some of the stuff."

"Really?"

"Really. Mom didn't let me out of the nest for another season because of that little stunt. I couldn't feel my tongue for a day. But in my defense… I mean… it does look kind of tasty when you just look at it…"

It was in that moment that both Mender and the hidden runner's guardian watched the fastrunner act like he was going to put it in his beak. He was quickly stopped by his little patient as he grabbed the offending leaf. It was only when Orchid laughed that the kid realized that he had been played.

"You tricked me!"

Orchid took a little bow. "Guilty. But are you afraid of the fireweed now?"

 _I don't know whether to call you a natural or an idiot, Orchid,_ Mender thought as she watched the hidden runner shake his head at the question before erupting in amused laughter, _Did you really eat something called 'fireweed' and expect it to be good? It seems your new friend found it quite funny, though._

"How did he do that?" the hidden runner patient asked, suddenly bringing Mender back to the task at hand. "Manny hasn't laughed since it happened."

"Orchid's only just now become an adult. I guess he still knows how to be a kid," Mender said with a laugh.

"I just… I wish I was as good with Manny as he is," the female noted morosely, "If my mother could see me now… how did she do it?"

"Staza might be able to help. She helped me when we were both younger," Mender suggested, "If nothing else, it helps to have someone to talk to." _Not that I've had time to talk with her or anyone else beyond knowing who is hurt and how badly._

"Can you move your arm for me?" Mender asked after a moment.

The hidden runner was surprised by the sudden request but quickly complied. "I think the… whatever you call it is helping. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Mender replied, "If anything starts hurting more later, tell me. Alright?"

The hidden runner nodded affirmatively before stepping backwards and giving one of the deepest bows that Mender could ever remember seeing.

After a moment of confusion, Mender bowed slightly. _I'm never going to get used to this._

"Alright, Manny, let's see if Haven is ready to give you the treatment."

"Okay, Mo-Lesle… thank you, Orchid."

"No problem, little guy."

Orchid appeared to be distracted for a moment as he watched the two hidden runners walk away. In his contemplation he nearly jumped when he saw Mender walk right next to him.

"Good job, Orchid," Mender said once the hidden runners had left, "I think you made a friend."

"Manny seems like a good kid. I just wish that we could do more." He rubbed his feathers awkwardly as if checking for parasites. "I have never seen an infestation that bad."

"I've seen a lot worse," Mender said.

"How?" The fastrunner gestured wildly as if outright frightened by the idea. "There was as much blood in those blood-suckers as in his body."

"Well, the last time I saw this, it killed a whole nest of hatchlings. The parents didn't look much better." Mender cringed at the memory.

Orchid barely stared at Mender mouth agape as he leaned in. "How can it get that bad?"

"Bad nest site. The parents weren't exactly experienced in, well, anything now that I think about it," Mender explained.

Orchid's focus on the hidden runner female in the distance was obvious as several supportive coos emanated from Ducky's mouth. Manny though, keeping to his previous attestations kept a brave face as the burning leaves were placed upon his flesh. "She… she is only my age, isn't she?"

"The one looking out for your new friend?" Mender asked as she examined the female's body intensely for a moment, "I think she's a little older than you, but not much older."

Orchid nodded. "It is hard to believe taking on that responsibility at that age… I mean…" He looked away awkwardly for a moment, his words suddenly cut off.

"You can't imagine taking care of one that isn't yours?" Mender continued for him, "Do I have to remind you again to stay away from Ovie?"

Orchid turned back towards her at this, his expression clearly indicating that the words had stung. "Mender, you know that I would never do anything to her or her eggs! I am not a monster!"

"No. You're a male fastrunner, something Verant has been getting very good at hunting," Mender said, not that concerned about Orchid's reaction.

"Have I given him any reason to doubt your opinion of me?" he retorted.

"You're not dead. Once you're dead, my brother will trust you around Ovie," Mender replied, "Don't take it personally. I'm not sure he trusts Taunt even today. Since _I_ trust Taunt, my choice in friends is a bit suspect." She tried to hold in a laugh. "He's just being protective."

The fastrunner was silent for a few moments as if carefully considering his companion's words. He didn't have a chance to speak, however, before several small scaled bodies were spotted by Orchid's widened eyes. "Mender, look out!"

"Calm down, Orchid," Mender said with a laugh, bracing herself as several fastbiter younglings hopped on her back, "They're Staza and Verant's kids."

"Aunt Mender! Daddy said we had to stay put, but we couldn't wait!"

"Is Gyors okay?"

Orchid watched the scene with some amusement as he proceeded to search for other work with the generally healthy group of refugees. Not wanting to walk near Ovie, he eventually settled himself with doing one of the skills he was competent at as he talked with the two other hidden runner children and began to examine them for the same blood-suckers that had been on the two brothers. This left Mender with the five excited bundles of scales and claws on her back.

"Aunt Mender, are you listening?"

"One at a time, kids; one at a time," Mender said as calmly as she could, trying to give herself a bit more time to think about how to answer the children's collective question about their brother.

The confusing jumble of voices quieted down as if receiving an alert call. It was only when one of their number, Sana jumped down that a child's voice again spoke.

"How is Gyors doing? He looked pretty bad before the flyer took him!"

"He's going to be okay," Mender said, deciding to be entirely honest with the kids, "He lost an eye, but he's going to be okay."

"I told you that Spotter wouldn't lie to us!" one of the sisters noted.

"But you know what Dad says about flyers! We have to make sure…" Sana whispered

The children began to mutter amongst themselves as they noticed Mender's somewhat stern expression at Sana's admission. It appeared that the father's cautious lack of trust had begun to rub off on more than one of his sons.

She looked at Orchid in the distance who was acting silly for some reason, causing the two hidden runner children to laugh. _This is what I warned you about, Orchid._

* * *

Mender found herself waking up that night with a pain in her side.

"Yowch," Mender muttered, glaring at the stick she had just rolled onto, "Stupid stick." She tossed the offending item into the darkness. _I just can't get a good night's rest, can I? I didn't think we were ever going to finish checking everyone today._

Rising from her temporary sleeping place, nestled as deep into bushes as her brother's well-justified paranoia would allow, she allowed her eyes to adjust to the all-encompassing darkness of the night. This only took a few moments with her predatory eyes, but as soon as they focused on the sleeping bodies around her she quickly regretted her previous thoughts. How could she be annoyed by the duties that fell upon her when those she had tended to had lost so much more?

Her eyes first focused on the four small hidden runner bodies, each with their respective guardians, but only two with one of their actual parents.

 _Poor kids. I know what it's like to lose friends and family, but I can't imagine what it's like knowing there's almost nothing left of what used to be home,_ Mender thought, _I hope they'll be okay._ _I wonder if Orchid could talk to them... Now where is he?_

Mender proceeded to do a cursory inspection of the other sleeping areas, being careful not to trample upon the hidden runners who blended into the terrain just as their names indicated and being even more careful not to wake the refugees lest they be even more exhausted for the journey ahead. But even with her extreme caution something became quite obvious.

Orchid was nowhere to be seen.

Mender quickened her pace as she strained her ears to hear anything in the evening breeze. _Where can he be? Surely no one tried to have a snack!_

She continued creeping through the bushes, careful not to make too much noise and wake up everyone. As she moved she thought she heard someone talking. _Ovie?_

"So you left your parents because you helped your sister keep a secret?"

 _Who is she talking to?_ Mender wondered.

"Uh… kind of. My father and I made amends but it was my time to go. And… well… when I saw that Mender's pack was helping people and exploring the Mysterious Beyond it just called to me, you know?"

 _Oh, no. Orchid... You're going to get yourself killed. If Verant finds you, good luck not getting ripped apart._ Mender moved closer both to better listen and to hopefully be able to intervene if her brother showed up.

She did not have to venture far for the tell-tale silhouette of two fastrunners to appear in the periphery of her vision. Both were focused on the other, but a clear distance was being maintained.

Ovie smiled. "So you wanted the adventure of a pack more than the adventure of being an easier target."

Orchid, for his part, was taken aback. But he returned a humored smile nonetheless, "Are you calling me brave or a coward?"

Ovie returned the expression. "Both."

Orchid rubbed his crest awkwardly before shrugging. "Sounds fair. I think Nahoda still thinks I am stupid, though."

 _You're not exactly proving him wrong here,_ Mender thought, _Why didn't you just get me or someone else to keep watch so Verant doesn't decide his kids need a fastrunner dinner?_

"And who exactly is Nahoda?" Ovie prompted.

Orchid laughed softly. "He is the one that I told you about. My sister's mate who was nearly was killed twice before finally making it official. He nearly didn't get his chance."

Ovie stiffened. "I know the feeling."

The two fastrunners shared a long look for several moments, neither saying anything as the chilly air of the night cast its breeze upon everyone present. The moment was only broken when Ovie spoke again.

"Brakas was so much like you when I first saw him… brave in his own way but smart enough to know that there was safety in numbers… though he would never admit the safety part." Mender could see Ovie's beak life upwards in a smile against the starlight. "His idea of adventure... and impressing the females… was showing off as one of Ignis's scouts."

Orchid's eyes lit up. "She uses us as those?"

 _Unfortunately,_ Mender thought, _Have I got a story for you, Orchid._

Ovie gestured at herself. "We girls don't blend in very well… but a few males try to go for the challenge. He was one of those who tried and died."

Orchid hesitated for a moment. "I'm sure he would be proud of how you are carrying on without him."

Almost imperceptibly the female's head jerked in the direction of a nearby bush. It was something that Mender picked up on immediately, but for which Orchid made no visible response.

 _Ovie, if you're trying to hide something, looking at it is not a good idea,_ Mender thought, _Especially if what you're hiding is eggs._

"I'm sorry for upsetting you," Orchid continued as he took a step back and gave the slightest hint of a bow in the hidden runner style. It was given just as awkwardly as he had learned the gesture a mere few weeks before. "Sometimes I can be such an idiot. This was a mistake."

 _Well, that bow was a mistake. I'm not letting you near another hidden runner pack until we get that right,_ Mender thought, cringing at what she was able to glimpse. She could only imagine what Ovie had seen.

"I was the one who called you over."

 _Interesting..._

Orchid did not turn around, but raised his beak in acknowledgement. "I know. But not all dangers you can see. And here I am, not knowing what I am doing, sending myself into other people's business."

He turned around to look in the direction of her nest, his expression unseen from Violet's vantage point. When the words left his mouth they almost sounded like they had come out of another dinosaur completely.

"Please do not think ill of me, but I will not approach you again until your children are safe from danger, and from me."

The female stared for a long moment, before walking backwards towards her nest. Her beak was in a stern frown, but her eyes lacked any coldness. "And on that day you will be welcome at my nest, Orchid. Farewell."

Orchid, merely taking this as a polite dismissal and nothing more, nodded and walked away without another word. Within moments the only thing that could be heard was the soft humming of a tune by the female fastrunner as she drifted off to sleep.

 _Orchid..._ Mender wanted to slam her head into a tree. _We're going to need to talk. Your parents apparently didn't cover this._

* * *

 **Ignis's territory:**

The hidden runner's verdant feathers rested upon the rocky scrape, while her head did anything but rest upon its roughened surface. Even the best days of leadership contained their fair share of burdens, but today was one of those days that tried the wills of even the most formidable leaders. She had repeated one of the few feats of her father that she never wanted to achieve.

She had lost a pack.

Since the announcement had come from the scouts she had nothing in the way of rest. First had come the concerned chattering of her followers to soothe, then had come the anxious chattering of her advisors to analyze; by the time she had finally gotten to the reassuring chattering of her mates she had decided that more chattering was the last thing that she needed.

At this moment, just like in the last several that had come before, she was left with the silence. Only the recriminations in her own mind gave her company.

 _Is this how it felt, father? Losing dozens and not knowing what to do next? Not knowing whose advice to follow?_ _Well, at least no one recommended that you mate your way out of the problem!_

There was no answer, of course, but for some reason she was comforted by that fact. She didn't want to know what her father would have made of the options suggested to her mere moments before.

" _Well, from where I am standing, this only gives us four options. Three of which are viable."_

 _Viscond rolled his eyes at the Left Hand's silky words. "You mean only three of them aren't stupid."_

 _Dravos nodded. "That is what I said."_

 _Both of the males were answered by a claw screeching against the scrape, causing everyone to cringe. Ignis's glare told them both to get on with it._

" _The first option is for the Great Leader to raise her loyal packs and to face Wrok in open battle. Let Fate choose its side."_

 _Ignis frowned. "Assuming that Wrok plays fair and does not have a flyer take me out from afar or kill me in the middle of the night."_

" _The second option is to raise the assistance of our allies in removing Wrok as a threat. We have it on good authority that Seeker's pack will already take our side. Others may follow due to his pack's reputation… though the valley's loyalties have been a bit less certain as of late."_

" _The Dein and Terri incident," one of the advisors added._

" _Options three and four are variations on the same theme, but may also entail some problems. As both Questor and Wrok both want power but lack the blood connections, you could simply mate with one of them."_

 _All eyes turned to Dravos at that suggestion, with only Ignis's raised hand preventing Viscond from seeing to it that the Left Claw's beak was rearranged on his face._

 _Ignis kicked a bone on the ground to the side in exasperation as she secured her advisor's head with both hands. When she did speak her voice came out in a fierce hiss._

" _You want me to fuck my way out of this? And what would become of the children that I already have? Would you expect either of those 'esteemed' suitors to see to their safety when they are focused on getting their children into the succession?_

 _Dravos merely shrugged, his eyes not changing tone despite the implied threat of violence. "Like I said, there may be some problems."_

After that she had ordered Penol to see to it that no one was let into her scrape until she gave the word. She never even considered the fact that wasn't her cousin's role until she finally took refuge upon the scrape itself. By that time she was too tired to care.

But now it was time to be a leader again. The time for sulking had passed.

She slowly rose from her scrape as she walked up to the entrance of the cave, more than a little surprised to see three guards and an out-of-place Penol standing at attention.

"Um… First Assistant Penol, your normal duties can resume once more."

Penol suppressed a sigh of relief before bowing then hurrying away to resume tasks she knew how to do.

Ignis barely suppressed a smile as she followed her cousin. Penol was hurrying with all of the intensity that Ignis had when, many years prior, her father had her and her siblings perform bone cleaning duty so that they would learn how the others live.

Everyone had to start somewhere.

"Cousin?"

"Ma'am?" Penol asked, stopping in surprise.

Ignis gestured for Penol to follow as they walked into one of the other caves in the cavern system.

"You did a fine job back there. There is nothing harder than trying to deal with something you have never been trained for." She tilted her head in an amused expression. "What were you going to do when I accidently made you the lead guard?"

Penol looked at Ignis, barely suppressing her surprise."I was going to try to do what you told me until I could hand it off to someone that knew what they were doing."

Ignis gave her a soft smile that did not reach her sad eyes. "I see. Well, in that case, feel free to watch and listen to this meeting. I think you have had enough stress for the evening, and you need to learn more of the hidden ways."

"Yes, ma'am," Penol replied, seeing Ignis's words as a polite order rather than a suggestion.

Ignis was about to tell her cousin to relax but, as often happened in her life, reality soon intervened. She probably should have told her cousin where they were going.

"Great Leader…"

Ignis held up a hand. "It's alright, Prizo." The other hidden runner was almost catatonic as the leader helped her to her feet. "I just came by to see if you were feeling well enough to speak. We need to know as much as we can if we are going to avenge the fallen."

Penol almost spoke but decided at the last moment to keep quiet. Instead she moved off to the side where she could still listen and be available to fulfil any requests without getting in the way.

"I… I don't remember much more than what I said before…"

" _Get out. The Leader needs to think."_

 _Ignis took a deep breath as she closed her eyes. Without any further command she knew that everyone would obey and leave her in silence. That was what she needed right now._

" _As you command, Great Leader. Shall I delay the meeting with the survivor?"_

 _Her eyes shot open. What was her Left Claw muttering about?_

 _Dravos slowly turned from where his gaze had been focused a moment before. At a certain hidden runner who was desperately trying to stand at attention in the guise of a guard. As soon as his gaze met the leader's he gave a slight nod._

" _We discussed it previously. The survivor seems to be depressed according to Penol."_

 _Ignis stared at the Left Claw for a long moment as the final footsteps of her entourage departed the range of hearing. As the realization hit her that it was only her and her advisor in the cavern she forced down the sudden suspicion that no actual meeting had ever scheduled._

" _I will deal with it as soon as I am done, Dravos. Now depart."_

 _The hidden runner gave his customary elongated bow before strolling out of the cavern, leaving the Great Leader to her own troubled thoughts._

Ignis frowned at the reluctance of Prizo to speak. It was just like Dravos had reported. Why hadn't her cousin told her of this? Surely she knew that she could report on something of such importance? She did not need to use Dravos as a go-between.

She sat down, which made both the survivor and her cousin to do the same in a flurry of activity.

"While we are in this place, please address me as if I were a friend and not your leader. You do not need to hide your pain or complaints from me. I know that I failed you."

Prizo was stunned into silence. It took her several moments to find her voice. "You did what you were able, but we can't avoid our fate."

Ignis was silent as she forced herself to restrain cursing Fate in front of the other female. She had lost her family and pack, the last thing that she needed was to have her beliefs challenged in this time of need as well.

"Fate sometimes offers us choices," Ignis began carefully, "And I want to make sure that my next choices are for my people's benefit. To do that I need to know how my people are feeling."

Ignis looked upon the hidden runner with a compassionate smile. She did not see Penol watching the scene with wonder.

"Have you decided what choices you wish to make? And can I help you in any way as you make these choices? After all, Fate helps those who help themselves."

She waited for the other female to speak. She was unsure in that moment if her words would be accepted as an esoteric conception of Fate or outright blasphemy.

Prizo nodded in understanding. "I guess Wrok didn't make a good choice in starting this challenge, then."

Ignis glared into the dirt at Prizo's left. "I will see to it that he receives no reward for challenging Fate. Its favor has not left me, or my people."

"What can I do to help?" Prizo asked, keeping her voice level.

Ignis took a double-take at this. _Both my cousin and I have misjudged you, Prizo. You do not seek death for yourself, but for our enemies._

Nonetheless this did not resolve the problem. The female's mind needed to again be fixated on life. She would be more useful as a symbol of hope than a martyr. And, more important to the leader, Prizo deserved to feel hope again.

"Fate has spared your life, Prizo. Undoubtedly it had a purpose in doing so. We have seen through you the depths of loss, but your recovery has given us hope. I think the hope of life after loss is what the packs need now."

She stepped forward and touched Prizo's shoulder, stunning her.

"As you see the choices that Fate has presented before you. Revenge and lonely death… despair and no one to remember your pack's songs… or the hope of a better future for all of us and a legacy for those who came before. How would you like to proceed?"

"I'd like my pack to be remembered," Prizo replied.

Ignis nodded with encouragement. "Then tell us exactly what happened."

Prizo then began her story, the likes of which Ignis hadn't heard since Calin had plagued the land. A tale of specters in the night. Of pained screams and fallen bodies. Of a pack that had been slaughtered without a chance to defend the land they called home.

By the time it was done Ignis made no attempt to maintain a leader's composure. She did not realize that she had embraced the other female until she felt her tears against her shoulder.

"Thank you. Thank you for telling their tale. I will make sure that their words are added to the Leader's Song," Ignis consoled as she considered what she had heard. Her defenses would have to be changed appropriately. Despite the necessary plotting, her next words were directed entirely for the other hidden runner's benefit. "Calm your tears and rest your conscience. You have fulfilled your duties to your pack."

She was surprised when the female pushed her away lightly, shaking her head.

"There is still one duty I must perform, though it pains me," the female's words took on an air like that of one of higher rank in that moment, "But… Fate sometimes shows the way."

She touched her abdomen as if confirming something.

"My time approaches again. Though he is gone I… I can't let myself fight what Fate demands."

Ignis opened her beak to speak, but then wisely closed it again. She would never force another to discard such pain like a picked clean bone, but she knew that Prizo had made up her mind. If she were going back into season and she felt it was Fate's will then not even the words of the Great Leader would dissuade her.

Despite her somewhat unique view on the machinations of Fate, Ignis could not doubt the existence of Prizo's unshakeable will. There were some things you see with your heart, but there were others that one could see with their eyes.

"I will see to it that those of our rank know of your willingness," Ignis responded with a light bow.

Prizo simply nodded before returning the bow, too stunned to speak. She did not even register that Ignis had nodded at Penol as the Great Leader walked away to her other business.

Exacting the revenge that Prizo could not.

Once Penol had led Prizo out of earshot of Ignis, Prizo felt it was safe to voice her concerns. "What am I going to do? I don't know the special ways at all."

Penol tilted her head and gave the elder female a small smile. "You now have the Great Leader's blessing, so I am sure you will find plenty of suitors who will be willing to teach you what you don't know."

Penol offered the other female her arm to show that she was of equal rank. It was only when the other female accepted that the two walked out of the cavern and into the bright day outside.

Penol offered the last words more to herself than to anyone else. "We all have to leave the nest sometime."

* * *

 **An hour later:**

Dravos left the cavern with an audible sigh. Of all of the possible solutions to the political situation Ignis seemed dead-set on the one that entailed the most risk. It would take only one setback in a battle for mutterings about the will of Fate to rise up in the feather-brained multitudes. And it would only take one of their number trying to "carry out the will of Fate" for Ignis' to fall by assassination. And him with her.

His guards could not watch everywhere.

His eyes focused on the scene on presentation hill, as it was sometimes called by the populace. The low-hatched survivor was carefully watching the dances of several males, scrutinizing their every action. _None of them would have bothered to jump your tail before… my how things can change._

But she was out of the question for his alternative plan, of course. Both Wrok and Questor knew that Prizo would not lead them to the scrape. He would have to find some other way to elicit Penol's interest in his little mission.

"Sir?"

Dravos turned towards the guard's voice as he feigned disinterest at the intrusion. "Hmmmm?"

"Uh… permission to have my second take over, sir?"

Dravos stared at the male for a moment, carefully examining his features without moving a muscle. The feathers were well-preened for one on guard duty. The eyes were wide with great interest… and there was more than a slight shake to the young male's tail in the direction of the female in the distance.

"Granted."

In an instant the young guard went through several emotions, from shock, to ecstasy, and then finally into an incomprehensible combination of the two as he muttered something in thanks and disappeared in a blur. Despite himself, Dravos put on the slightest of smiles.

 _If Wrok chased tail that easily then this challenge would have been over by now. What is your ruin, Wrok? What do you look towards when you sense danger?_

His thoughts were soon interrupted by the sound of footsteps, but as the other guards did not stir he did not put much weight in this development. _Penol's weaknesses are obvious and manifest: her low opinion of herself, her deep fear of losing her benefactor's favor, the resulting insecurity… but how to use these without damaging her effectiveness? Questor would value a vulnerable egg-holder, but Wrok is the type to only value what he sees of himself in others. For Penol to win his favor he will need to see fire behind the naivete._

He clicked his beak in annoyance. Another source of leverage would need to be found.

"Left Claw?"

Dravos turned around upon hearing the voice of the source of his turmoil. "First Assistant Penol? What do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?"

Penol took a steadying breath before replying. "Whatever your plan is, sir, I want to be part of it."

For once in his life Dravos widened his eyes in surprise. _Well… that was surprisingly easy._

"So you have decided to follow in your cousin's footsteps and to do the hard task that the Leader will not?" Dravos asked.

"I heard what happened to the first pack Wrok attacked," Penol said, "I can't let that happen again."

Dravos looked past Penol as the dancing of the guard proceeded before the clearly impressed Prizo. So his feint had worked after all. It seemed that Penol's strength had made her vulnerable and not her weaknesses. Though he was troubled.

Why had he not thought of using honor as a tool?

Dravos nodded. "Accompany me, Penol; we need to plan our next steps… for the good of the pack, of course."

"Do you have any idea how I'm supposed to leave without Ignis noticing?" Penol asked as she followed Dravos, surprised that Dravos sounded like he didn't have a plan at all, "She already forbid me to resign once when I had a really bad day. I doubt her opinion has changed any since then."

Dravos smiled inwardly. "Leave that small detail to me. For the good of the pack, the Right Claw does not always need to know what the Left Claw is doing."

* * *

 **Questor's territory:**

"Fate has turned against us. We've lost a lot of scouts, and what do we have to show for it? Nothing."

"We got the rest of the valley, though."

"One victory doesn't mean we've won everything. What do you think the Great Leader will do to us all? We will have a river full of corpses!"

The words of the guards carried some distance through the thick foliage of the dense forest. Against their verdant hue and the scent of their pugnant sap a weary pair of eyes studied his clawed hands.

 _These claws joined yours, Wrok. And what has your contribution gained for me? A dozen dead scouts and your long shadow over my pack!_

He slashed the tree as if that would resolve the anger within his heart. Instead it merely earned him an injured nose as the sapling ricocheted against the blow.

 _And what of you, Ignis! Have I not been generous in my offerings? Did I not offer my support for your hand? You forced me into this!_

With the second blow the sapling finally was cut through and tumbled to the ground, casting his claws in brown sap.

He sighed. If things continued the way that they had been then he might have a challenge of his own soon enough. He had no doubt that his lessers would relish the idea of deposing him if Fate gave them suitable sanction. They would go rushing into Wrok's welcoming arms, or perhaps even Ignis's… whichever looked more in favor to Fate at the moment.

He needed to outshine them both. His survival depended upon it. Even a dangerous move would be preferable against the slow decline he now faced.

"Come, Ryzor. I know that you're listening, you nosy beak-face."

"You have message?" Ryzor asked, landing on a branch where Questor could see him.

Questor glared at the flyer. "We feed you and your brother well, but yet you respond to my call as if you were starved."

"More food's always good," Ryzor replied, suppressing a laugh to avoid making Questor angrier.

Questor could only roll his eyes. "This message will need to be sent very carefully, you understand? The slightest error could end me, and you know what that means."

"No more food?" Ryzor asked.

Questor nodded. "Unless you want to try your luck with your previous benefactors…" He smiled at the sudden twitch of Ryzor's wing. He knew as well as Questor that his brother would never be able to find food on his own. "This message needs to go to my 'special friend'."

Ryzor stared at Questor in surprise and more than a bit of concern. "What's the message?" he reluctantly asked.

Questor began in a slow careful prose. "Begin the message like this: It is time to put your training to good use…"

* * *

 **The Great Valley:**

The flyer watched carefully as the domehead carefully approached the cave. With a few darting moves of the head he checked his surroundings for any sign of life around him.

The flyer's eyes narrowed. Any concern that they were targeting the wrong dinosaur had ended with that reaction. He gave no signal, however. He knew that the others were watching the same scene as him.

The domehead cringed for a moment as some distant flyer screeched from the Mysterious Beyond. It took him a moment before he regained his senses.

"Get ahold of yourself. You can do this…"

With only the slightest of hesitations the domehead peeked his head into the cave, and disappeared into its depths.

It took a few more seconds before his sister finally gave the order.

"A flyer has entered the valley from the West. Follow this domehead. Whatever is said between them must be heard."

He nodded without a word. The wellbeing of the valley was riding on their wings.

Within moments he slipped into the darkness of the cave.

* * *

 **Thanks for the reviews, everyone! It has been awhile since we have had a chance to update but between work and final exams we have managed to find the time to complete another chapter. As always we look forward to your thoughts and reviews. And, on behalf of Historian1912 and I, we hope that you have a merry Christmas and a joyous New Year!  
**

 **bryanmccloud** : Indeed. With some of the prompt challenges coming up there might be a few opportunities for humor. Though I would feel sorry for anyone playing "Beakface" with Chomper. d-; I think being tagged "it" by him would probably the last thing that would happen to whoever was playing with him.

 **Keioj6** : Thank you for the detailed review. (: In many ways, as I am sure you have noticed, the Mender/Orchid relationship in the present is in many ways an analogue of the Mender/Haven relationship in the past scenes. I am curious what you will think about the resolution of the immediate crisis in the past as well as the sudden introduction of the tiny biters and Purple Tail. I realize that their entry might seem sudden, but in reality these species (in the LBT world where time eras do not appear to separate species) would be quite common. I do hope any deficiencies in this chapter are minimal though, in many ways, this chapter is one of the most modified of the original roleplay. I think its current form works much better in terms of plausibility though it may seem rather sudden in parts in terms of developments.

As for Dravos and Penol that is a dynamic that I have enjoyed exploring. We now, as you will have found, four separate schemers in the unraveling political drama in Ignis, Dravos, Questor, and Wrok, and four separate factions in the loyalist hidden runners, the rebel hidden runners, the valley, and Seeker's loose confederation of allies. I just hope to keep it accessible to everyone otherwise we might have to rename this story "Game of Bones" d-;

 **Nimbus01** : Thank you very much for the review and your constructive feedback over the last year. Your insights on Wrok are quite spot on. He is a product of his environment in many ways, and is now using the new tools that are available in order to obtain power. And, as you pointed out, the traditions and pseudo-morality of the hidden runners is now turning into what we would associate with the beginnings of Bronze Age social development despite being an early stone-age (stick-age?) culture. I think it shows how a different species might develop in a different sequence compared to humans. As for Dravos... yeah. He is a character that is still developing in ways that even I did not anticipate. I can't wait to find out where he goes in the end.

 **gordhanx** : It's not a problem, and I still think that your review was quite details and illuminating. I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter. (:


	27. Interlude 2: A plan is hatched

v

 **Interlude: The hatching of a plan**

 **Thus said Rhy'thnuk: Remember young student that in life everyone will see what you appear to be, but few will experience what you truly are.**

 **Student: So a leader is doomed to be misunderstood?**

 **Thus said Rhy'thnuk: There are many degrees by which one could be misunderstood. But those who know themselves avoid the deepest level of misunderstanding.**

 **The ruminations of Rhy'thnuk**

 **From the Summation of Ancient Thought - Volume 86**

* * *

Against his feathers the moist air felt like a suffocating coat, invisible yet inescapable. In the darkness of the night the oppressive humidity was another reminder of the invisible yet very real obligation that lay before him. An obligation that clung to him with the same stubbornness as the moisture that was clinging to his feathers.

 _On the bright side, this should be simple. I let them know I'm here and figure it out from there. Of course, there might not be much to figure out if they just decide to kill me,_ Bluntbeak thought, _Simple definitely isn't good this time._

He practically threw himself to the ground as a small flyer erupted from the bushes, spooked by his silent movement. In a few moments the only testament to the sudden surprise was the racing heart pounding in his chest.

 _Okay, so how do I get these guys to know I'm here and_ not _kill me on sight?_ Bluntbeak pondered, _Maybe if I make myself really obvious then act as unthreatening as I can..._

Bluntbeak let out a high-pitched call that was impossible not to hear and waved his arms. Once he thought he heard something in the distance he sat down and waited.

 _Should I lay down or sit down? No one ever taught me how to walk into certain death and welcome it with open arms._

The sounds that he had heard previously faded into nothingness as soon as he tried to focus on them. Perhaps he had merely heard things?

He snorted as he looked down in exasperation. _Should I sing them a song? Surely they must know I am here by now._

"Should we kill him, sir?"

 _Yep, I'm dead,_ Bluntbeak thought, staring at the spears that had suddenly appeared in front of his face.

"Somehow I highly doubt that an attacker would give an alert call and sit down in front of our lands."

Bluntbeak watched in a mixture of fascination and terror as another hidden runner walked behind the spear-holders. By his demeanor and expression he could tell that this was a deputy of some kind. A deputy who knew an anomaly when he saw one.

Despite the necessity of the situation, Bluntbeak was finding it hard to leave up to his name in that very moment.

"I have a message for Ignis," Bluntbeak finally forced himself to say. He was quite proud that he managed to say it clearly and without stammering despite the dangerous situation he was in.

He was greeted with a few sniffs from the larger male. "You smell like you are from one of the river packs. Not one of us."

The spears at his neck now pressed against his skin.

The deputy glared at him. "Who sent you?"

"Wrok sent me," Bluntbeak replied, finally living up to his name. _If I'm going to die, I might as well make sure these guys know they're idiots._

He was surprised when the spears left his neck as the deputy gave a single wave of his arm and a groan of annoyance.

"What is your name, messenger?"

"Bluntbeak. My name is Bluntbeak."

The deputy needlessly gestured for him to follow as spears blocked Bluntbeak's path backwards and to either side.

"Well then, Bluntbeak, let's not keep your message waiting. But keep one thing in mind."

"Keep what in mind?" Bluntbeak asked, morbidly curious.

He was greeted with heated breath in his ear.

"If my leader gives the command, then it will be my pleasure to adorn your screaming, bleeding body upon our spears as a warning to whatever piece of filth Wrok sends our way next."

Bluntbeak paused. _I really hope he sticks to orders. This guy seems a bit_ too _eager to kill me._

The deputy made a mock bow as he gestured forward. "After you."

Bluntbeak walked forward, though he kept track of where the deputy was at all times.

* * *

"What's going on?" Penol asked, having noticed some commotion and rushed to a guard to figure out whether or not to inform Ignis.

The guard, startled, went to grab his spear before he noticed it was Penol who asked the question. "Apologies, ma'am. It looks like we have a messenger from the enemy."

"Brantus, take over outer security!"

The guard did not wait for clarification as the orders from Dravos rang in his ears, "Yes, sir!"

The Left Claw's feet clicked against the ground with an almost predatory cadence as he examined the scene that lay before them. The messenger who was being led almost like a prisoner, and the pack which was now as awake and alive as during the peak of the Bright Circle's daily cycle.

As one plan died another took its place.

"We both will need to listen to these proceedings," Dravos noted to the younger female.

"What do you think it's about?" Penol asked, having trouble imagining why Wrok would send a messenger.

Dravos tilted his head slightly as the two began to walk towards the cavern in an effort to beat the messenger to the private audience. "It is doubtful that it is an offering of mating, like Questor is fond of sending. The other distinct possibilities - that of a truce and an offer of alliance against Questor - would probably not be in Wrok's best interests at the moment. So I would assume this messenger is meant to play mind-games with our Dear Leader."

"That's a strategy?" Penol asked, surprised.

Dravos turned towards the female with an unreadable expression. "It is a strategy that is used to hide other strategies. The opponent who chases your shadow will miss you."

"Like acting like you're doing one thing then doing something completely different?" Penol asked.

The Left Claw's head cocked in the slightest hint of contentment. "Exactly. I suspect Wrok is also trying to get any information at all. Ignis's emotions. Which of her advisors are present in the meeting. Anything out of the ordinary."

As they entered the threshold of the cavern he whispered into her ear. "There is one thing that should give you pause, though."

Penol froze. "What?"

Dravos's beak turned into the slightest hint of a smirk. "Why did Wrok send an obviously new messenger for such an important mission?"

"He does look kind of nervous," Penol noted as the messenger and his escorts continued their approach to Ignis's cave.

She turned to look at Dravos for confirmation, only to see that he had already taken his place at the leader's side. It was then that she realized that she was standing right in the middle of the entrance into the cavern that the messenger would need to take.

Penol barely contained a panicked yelp before darting to one of the darker corners of the cavern where she probably should have been quite a while ago.

She barely had time to press against the cavern wall when a rather stern-looking guard entered the chamber as if he were waiting for something.

It was then that Penol noted the look on her cousin's face as Ignis gave a nod. "Bring in the messenger."

 _Better him than me,_ Penol thought.

Though the darkness of the cavern was almost complete in the darkness of the night, Penol could see Bluntbeak enter the chamber hesitantly before awkwardly stopping in the center of the chamber. It was as if he did not know how close to approach the leader. But finally reaching the proper distance for a messenger, where messengers would typically bow, he stood firm.

It was enough to make Penol gasp in shock. _I can't figure out whether he's deliberately trying to be insulting or is just clueless. I at least knew enough to try to act respectful as a kid. Not that I knew how, but I did try._

Several of the guards at the threshold tightened their grips on their weapons at the display.

That was when the proceedings were interrupted by laughter.

The Great Leader smirked as she examined the messenger from her scrape. "Not even the nod given to equals. Well, well, no offense, dear messenger, but I think I prefered Wrok's previous messenger. Do you happen to know what has become of him?"

 _I'm not sure I want to know,_ Penol thought.

Bluntbeak kept his expression neutral as gestured at a guard's spear. "Dear Leader, I regret to inform you that the previous messenger was killed in the battle that shamed your leadership. I am his replacement."

 _And if you don't learn some manners, Wrok's going to have to replace you,_ Penol thought, equally indignant and concerned.

Ignis leaned back. "And it seems that Wrok has ordered you to show me the least possible respect, I take it?"

Bluntbeak hesitated a moment as his eyes darted in the slightest hint of fear.

"I thought as much. Let's get this over with then for both our sakes. What message does my esteemed not-so-loyal subject wish to convey," Ignis asked almost dismissively as she examined her claws.

 _Um, what just happened?_ Penol thought in confusion. Ignis's response to the messenger had been surprising for her, confusing actually.

The messenger hesitated upon seeing the situation turned on its head. It was both relieving to no longer have his disrespect be the center of attention and confusing to be outplayed by the leader of words herself.

Finally he stepped forward and focused his eyes upon her as he spoke.

"My leader, and the true chosen leader of Fate, does bring you greetings from the Packs of the Rivers. He hopes that you have seen reason and will willfully accept your place as a mate of proper leader. He promises, of course, that your lovers and children will be well cared for."

He turned towards the Left Claw. "Except for you, of course, you must be killed as tradition demands."

Dravos merely gave a nod as if the news did not faze him at all.

Ignis yawned. "Would it surprise you to learn that my answer is still 'no'?"

Bluntbeak shook his head. "Not at all. Wrok merely demanded that I present the offer again because he wished to annoy you."

 _How long does this stupid messenger expect to live?_ Penol wondered, _Cousin or not, I probably would be dragged off and beaten senseless if I was this publicly disrespectful._

"The actual message is this: as you no doubt realize from your flyers we have successfully taken the river up to the Dry Lands, and we have killed the fastbiter packs and two-footers who resided in _our_ lands. We would hate to have hidden claws at our backs."

"We would hate to have _unseen_ claws at our backs," Ignis smirked as she responded, "You need to use less direct words if you wish to replicate Wrok's messages accurately. I would hate to have you turn out like the last messenger."

Bluntbeak was flustered at the sudden verbal jab. "I will work hard to improve my skills in the Special Ways, Ma'am. I would hate to insult you without using your full vocabulary."

"You see, Viscond?" Ignis smirked. "This is why our daughters need to keep taking lessons from Frenor. We would hate to have them run into this situation."

"You're enjoying this way too much, Dea- Great Leader," Viscond finally answered, glaring at the messenger the entire time.

Penol couldn't help but stare in open-mouthed shock. _Okay, that's it. I'm done. If this is considered part of appropriate behavior, I am too confused to figure it out. Just... how?_ She just couldn't figure out why Ignis was treating all this like it was a big joke.

"Are you confused, Penol?"

"Ma'am?" Penol asked, startled out of her thoughts. She hurriedly gave an apologetic bow.

Ignis smiled. "I think that I need to explain it to our messenger anyway, so please allow me to elaborate."

She rose from her scrape as she approached the messenger who now noticeably tensed up.

"This poor thing has been ordered by his leader to insult me in the hope that I would make one of two possible mistakes that would give Wrok an advantage. Can you guess what those would be?" She watched the messenger for a moment who remained silent. "How about you, Penol?"

"You could kill him," Penol suggested timidly, now rather embarrassed that that had been her first thought as to how the messenger's disrespect would be handled.

Ignis nodded. "Yes, and this could be used by Wrok to show that I am a unstable ruler by attacking those who talk to me under truce. The other mistake would be to accept these insults as a given and to let him go… as that would dishonor me and my people."

She walked to within striking distance of the messenger.

"Leader…" Dravos cautioned before he was waved off by her.

"Your leader used you, Bluntbeak. He used you in order to gain the slightest advantage in his battle with me. Does that sound like the sort of leader you should follow?"

The messenger swallowed audibly enough that even Penol could hear it as he remained silent under the leader's stare.

"What… what I should do is follow my vows, ma'am," Bluntbeak finally replied with defeat in his eyes, "What you do to me is up to you, but I will not turn on Wrok or my pack."

Ignis frowned. "That is a pity. With a good leader giving you a good message you would have made a good messenger."

Ignis turned her back on the messenger as she returned to her scrape and again sat down. "Was there anything else?"

"Just one final message, ma'am. 'Plots are like the wind. Only those that leave with the night can hit without warning.' He told me that those who needed to know what it meant would know what it means."

 _I'm definitely not one of those that need to know, then,_ Penol thought, _That makes no sense to me._

Ignis sighed. "Lovely. Guards!"

Upon her command guards practically sprinted from the cavern entrance, descending upon the messenger from all directions as he cowered in fear. The deputy who had threatened him upon his entry into the territory now smiled at him with malicious intent.

"See to it that he is allowed to get water and food before he makes his return journey. We must show that we will keep the Special Ways even to those who would destroy them."

The deputy looked disappointed for a moment before bowing deeply. "As you command, Great Leader!"

 _What have I gotten myself into?_ Penol thought, thinking about her agreement to help Dravos in one of his plans, _If I have to deal with something like this, I'm doomed._ Despite her misgivings she watched in silence as the messenger was led out of the cavern as if he were one of their own and not a disrespectful servant of the enemy.

"So the last message was probably a subtle order for someone to kill me, correct?" Ignis noted with annoyance, "He didn't even hide it well."

"That would be my assumption, Leader. Are you sure that we shouldn't interrogate the messenger?"

Ignis glared at Dravos. "Besides amusing you, Dravos, what would that accomplish? The best messengers are those who send messages but don't understand them."

"Less chance of plots being uncovered," Viscond noted.

Ignis sighed. "Exactly. Now to figure out which hand will be holding the spear meant for me."

 _Would they even need a spear? A bit of orange death on the claws would kill just as easily._ Penol was suddenly glad she wasn't in charge of guarding Ignis. She'd never be able to sleep again.

Penol had no idea that the eyes of a certain Left Claw were upon her. "Perhaps we could send a messenger of our own? That way if this messenger does know something, then we can pick up on the details."

Ignis rolled her eyes. "And what message should I send, Dravos? 'Wrok, you are cordially invited by the Great Leader to drop dead'?"

Dravos shrugged. "Perhaps something a bit more diplomatic, but based upon our current offerings that message would not be out of place."

Ignis yawned. "Take whatever volunteer you think is best, Dravos. But I doubt the messenger knows anything."

Dravos turned ever so slightly to shift his focus upon the young female in the distance. "I have someone in mind, Great Leader. Don't worry, I will take care of the necessary preparations."

 _I am going to be in so much trouble when this is over,_ Penol thought.

* * *

"It… is time then?"

The elder male did not face Greenshade as his spear hang loosely in his hands. It was as if he were staring at something in the distance. Something that only he could see.

"It is," Greenshade said almost emotionlessly.

The male sighed as he raised his spear slightly, making Greenshade prepare for a quick ambush before the male could get a chance to defend himself.

And then he merely tossed his spear aside and faced her. His face was nearly as unreadable as hers, taking on the solemness of a person who knew that they must die.

"Tell my son and daughter that I died for the pack, won't you? And not… removed..." his voice broke for a moment before regaining its steel, "...like this."

"I will," Greenshade promised as she advanced in preparation for the kill. She and her new followers had killed countless innocent fastbiters on this day without a single casualty. But, though the official order had never been given, she knew that she was meant to bring back news of one fatality on this day.

Demotions without death meant a continuous threat. Wrok had no need for those, and, if she was honest with herself, neither did Greenshade.

The condemned hidden runner broke her concentration as she began to aim at his throat. "She reminds me a bit of you."

"Who?" Greenshade asked in surprise.

The male sat down as he again looked away from the female, sparing her the need to look him in the eyes during the task. "My daughter. She has the same drive. I just hope before it is her time to fight that… this is done. She deserves peace even though the young dream of fighting."

He trailed off as he leaned forward and raised his arms to his sides in a gesture that Greenshade did not understand. "To be young and naive again…"

It took Greenshade a moment, but she eventually figured out the male's intention. He gave her an easy shot at his heart through the intersection of his neck and shoulder.

It was then that the male's breathing registered in her ears. The quick, shallow breathing of someone trying to keep themselves under control despite near-panic.

"If Wrok does this to you remember to tell your successor to do it this way… it is faster…" the male spoke again, but she was unsure if it was really for her benefit or for his. It was then that she realized how long she had been hesitating.

Incompetent or not, he didn't deserve to have the inevitable prolonged.

She gripped her spear with as much force as she could muster as she sprang forward, directing as much of her body weight and momentum as possible into the splinter of wood. She allowed her instincts to take her hands and the spear directly into where the feathers in the side of his neck pulsed with his life blood. In an instant his shallow breathing was replaced with a moist gasp as the spear drove home through his neck and into his chest.

A second went by as a second wet gasp, now joined with a gush of blood, escaped from his beak. She did not hesitate to pull out the spear in order to speed the inevitable.

By the time the third gush of blood left his neck, the body had fallen to the ground. The former deputy had fought his last battle.

Greenshade looked at her blood-soaked arms. _Or at least that is what I will tell them._

"Deputy, we are sure the rest of the pack is gone. Should we…" The voice of a hidden runner that she quickly identified as one of her own stopped mid-sentence. She did not need to turn around to deduce what he had just witnessed.

"This was Wrok's order," Greenshade said, still not turning around.

There was a pause as the other hidden runner processed having his own suspicions confirmed. "Understood, ma'am. I saw nothing. What are _your_ orders?"

"Report back to the pack. We have achieved our objectives," Greenshade replied.

Knowing when it was not time to linger the hidden runner bowed and quickly vacated the scene, leaving Greenshade with her thoughts.

She had never killed one of her own packmates before.

* * *

Wrok approached the assembled hidden runners with deliberate slowness as he scanned those present. Facing him were three dozen attentive faces with well over half of them having feathers stained red with the blood of their victims on this night of crimson.

He stopped as he approached a log that was nearly as tall as his neck, grabbing its bark as if his own body were too heavy to propel forward any longer. As if he bore the entire weight of the pack upon his shoulders. Then, with deliberate slowness he used his hands to propel his gaze forward at the pack that called him leader. In the pale light of the Night Circle their leader almost appeared to glow as his yellow eyes stared into their own, as if searching their very souls.

"My packmates… sons and daughters of the rivers… for many Cold Times we were a lost and defeated pack. Forgotten! Ignored! And forsaken by those who claimed to be our betters!"

The assembled hidden runners nodded silently in remembrance of the hardships they had endured. Even those that were too young to remember personally could remember Wrok's speeches and the grievances expressed by their parents.

"Two Cold Times ago I requested time… and that time was granted by all of you. Time to lick our wounds. Time to mend our hopes. From the roots established by my father I have grown this pack. I have grown our pride. I have grown our strength."

With each sentence the hidden runner's voice grew in volume and strength so that what had begun as barely a whisper now roared with the intensity of a threehorn's charge. No eye was closed in the crowd. No head dropped. There was only one focus of attention. There was only one pack. One leader. One purpose.

"One Cold Time ago you joined me as we began the most difficult struggle of our existence. The struggle of Fate. The fight to put Fate's rightful ruler upon the scrape of destiny. The fight to restore what had been lost. The fight to end the plight of our people."

His voice sank again, like the wind losing strength as it sailed between the trees of a forest, only to gain the character that came with the gyrations of the leaves. A cadence that commanded attention as if one's life depended upon it.

"The actions you have taken on this night will make the packs fear us, and will protect our rear as we look ahead to our next victories." He looked at each of the battle groups in turn as he gestured at them with his finger. "The actions on this night have avenged the fallen from recent hard days. Now our enemy's victories are hollow. The others know our might, and they know that allying with them means certain death."

The crowd stood silent, but the fire in their eyes showed that the emotional dam was about to break. Wrok knew the right moment to work his magic.

"Tonight, my friends, we have showed Ignis our true power. Tonight we have showed the fools that follow her what they risk if they do not reconsider. And tonight we have showed what we are capable of."

He placed his arms near his chest.

"Tonight, we have begun to retake what is rightfully ours. Tonight, we will be ignored no more!"

Greenshade was cheering with the rest of the crowd before she even realized what she was doing. Wrok seemed to have that way with people.

* * *

 _What was I thinking?_ Penol thought as she paused at the exit of the cave. The turmoil assaulting her mind was a clear manifestation of the uncertainties that lie ahead. There would be no going back from this decision once she put it into motion.

"Everything appears to be normal, ma'am. The messenger has been led to the stream," a voice suddenly called to her left as the guard briefly looked in her direction. He had mistaken her hesitation for a pause to hear his report.

She was the First Assistant, after all.

"Oh, uh, that's good, I guess," Penol replied, taken a bit off guard, "I guess I should probably check with the others. Thank you."

The guard nodded before relaxing slightly and resuming the important task of keeping watch over the Leader's cavern. His eyes gleamed in the night as if he were defying the night itself in the performance of his responsibilities.

Penol moved on to the next guard, realizing the best way to get away would be just to do her job. Fortunately for her, she was better prepared to talk to the other guards further out than she had been with the first one.

She was not prepared to nearly be beamed in the head with a small rock, however.

"Away! The messenger is not to be harassed!" A rather stern hidden runner waved away at a small group of youths.

"He insulted the Leader!"

"Some shit in his face would match his beak!"

"Yeah! Let's throw him into the marking line!"

"Shitbeak! Shitbeak!"

The guard raised his spear threateningly as the three small hidden runners. "The Leader has given her orders. Do any of you want to offer your names against her?"

The youths, now mortified at being called out, quickly dispersed from the scene. Only the final smack of a stick against Bluntbeak's side confirmed that one of their number wanted one final shot at the enemy.

"I saw that!" Penol snapped reflexively, showing herself to the others. She was quickly greeted by both the faces of both the guard and the messenger as the three little ones fled from the scene. As a result she was the only one to witness the obscene gesture given in her direction by the one she had rebuked.

The guard was nearly beside himself with mortification. "First Assistant! My apologies for seeing that. Some of the pack did not take kindly to our friend's commentary tonight."

"I think the one shouting 'shitbeak' might have a future in singing. He has a way with words."

Bluntbeak's quip was greeted by a glare from the guard as he tightened the grip on his spear. Though they both knew that he would not dare use it except in self-defense.

"Don't tempt me, Bluntbeak. A beating for insubordination might be worth it just to see you bleed first."

The messenger rolled his eyes, but said nothing more as he turned towards the stream and took a long drink from its cool depths. This left the guard and the First Assistant facing one another awkwardly, neither appearing sure of what to say.

"Um… there have been attempts to harass the messenger, ma'am, but myself and Slurge have kept things somewhat controlled."

"You might need a few more escorts for that," Penol thought aloud.

The guard nodded. "Aye. But Dravos has instructed all available guards to keep watch on the marking line."

"They think I am a distraction before an attack," Bluntbeak noted with some amusement before taking another drink from the stream.

"If so then I know which enemy I would kill first," the guard quipped back.

This merely earned him a suggestive tail jiggle as a taunt. The messenger did not even bother to move his head from the stream.

"And I thought those kids were immature," Penol muttered, not realizing the irony of what she was saying.

The guard sighed and shook his head at the messenger's antics. "My apologies, ma'am. He will be out of here soon, so you do not need to bother yourself with him. I suspect that if we did end up killing him, Wrok's pack would consider that a favor."

It was then that Penol noticed something odd about the scene. Where was the supposed other guard?

"Um, where's your partner?" Penol asked, irritated with herself that she didn't know the guard's name.

The guard seemed to hesitate for a moment. "He… um… is relieving himself, ma'am."

Bluntbeak's eyes widened slightly as he began to examine the guard closely with a sideways glance. All the while he was careful not to raise his head from the stream.

 _The Left Claw rubbed his beak contemplatively as he examined the young female. "The best option is to get the messenger alone and to suggest a diplomatic exchange - as he will think you are defecting. But keep in mind that everyone is not as they seem. When you think someone is helping the messenger simply say, 'I am a friend of ours'. Not only will you get in, but you might help us expose a threat."_

 _Penol shook her head in frustration. "Why does all of this have to be so confusing?"_

 _Dravos snorted. "When people are risking their own throats they seldom keep things honest. Honesty is the virtue of the naive and defended, not the defenders."_

" _Hmph… or the good," Penol quipped under her breath._

 _Dravos did not respond even though Penol suspected that he had heard her._

"I'm a friend of ours," Penol forced herself to say, shifting herself so that she was a bit further away from the guard in case things went really badly. She knew she was probably overreacting to dangers that weren't there, but she'd never done anything like this before.

The guard froze with disbelieving eyes as he stared at the First Assistant. It was only after a moment's hesitation that he glanced at the messenger who responded in rather uncharacteristic fashion.

He groaned.

"Act normal, you fucking idiot! Do you want someone to suspect us?"

The guard quickly snapped back into Bluntbeak's face, "How dare you address the First Assistant in that way?" before wagging his finger and awkwardly moving back into a guarding position, noticeably looking around.

When Bluntbeak finally spoke in a hushed whisper it nearly made her jump in the air.

"If you want to remain a friend of ours then I would suggest you drink some water, Penol. No one can fault you for taking a drink."

Penol did as she was told, falling back on how she normally reacted when she wasn't sure what to do. The water almost tasted bitter this evening, but as it entered her throat its crispness made a tingle go down her spine. Was that excitement?

"So you figured it out and wanted in instead of getting the obvious prize?" Bluntbeak asked, "I'm sure you could get mated to a high-ranked deputy for catching a traitor."

"You think my rank could get higher here?" Penol asked disbelievingly, "I'll probably die in this job."

This made the guard do a spit-take while Bluntbeak's concerned frown turned into a smile. "Ah… so your aim is for something higher. Ambitious. I'm sure the Boss will like that."

"How is this to be played?" the guard interrupted with a barely audible hiss, "I do not plan on dying tonight."

Bluntbeak hushed him with a silent hiss of his own before glancing at Penol expectantly. "What are your plans, First Assistant Penol?"

"I take it all you're trying to do is get some information back to your boss?" Penol asked, nodding at the guard.

"Perceptive," the guard noted without the facade of deference that was in place before. In its place was a more relaxed, less formal manner of speaking. The kind that one would use with a close confidant. "I want to topple the unfit wretch just as much as you do, my friend."

His posture did not change as he resumed his guard duties and gave a mock order for Bluntbeak to speed up his drinking.

"We do not have long," Bluntbeak affirmed as he proceeded to grab some of the fish that had been left for him, "How is this being played? We cannot afford to lose Kirea here," he said as he nodded in the guard's direction.

"I was ordered to go on a diplomatic exchange," Penol said, deliberately leaving out who had ordered her, "Would that work?"

The guard clicked his beak in surprise. "She would risk a cousin being in the enemy's pack?"

Bluntbeak, meanwhile, asked the obvious question. "She not only trusts you with being First Assistant, but she also trusts you with something like this? You must have her totally blinded… or you are full of shit."

Penol felt everything slow to a crawl in that moment. The gentle flow of the stream, the steady breeze in the wind, the soft sensation of her pulse vibrating her feathers, it all seemed to slow to a stop in this very point in time. Any wrong move here would almost certainly mean her death, with the guard claiming that the messenger took his weapon.

"A mission to Questor would probably fix things between my cousin and Questor for a time, assuming I ended up in his nest," Penol spoke despite the words tasting bitter in her mouth, "You and your boss probably want to make sure that he doesn't get me."

No one moved for a moment as Bluntbeak stared her directly in the face. "So let me get this straight… you have been assigned to go on a diplomatic mission to Questor, but you don't want to be his latest step up the rankings because you don't want to end up dead like his other playthings. So you want me and Mr. Cheerful over here to 'capture you' and take you to Wrok where he can fuck you instead and kill your cousin as the final sweet bubble on the top of the corpse. Did I miss anything?"

"Seems like your insulting Ignis wasn't intentional," Penol said, "Apparently you actually can't speak without being completely vulgar. Does Wrok hate you or something?"

"Yes to both questions," Bluntbeak noted with a hint of humor as he looked at the guard, "I need to relieve myself."

The guard quickly acted just as a good guard would be expected to behave. "If you expect privacy then you have another thing coming. There is no telling what you could get up to in the dark."

Bluntbeak snorted. "You just hope you can smear my beak in it and call me Shitbeak like those little ones, eh?"

"Don't tempt me, moron. Now move!"

Unsure of what else to do, Penol followed the other two hidden runners, trailing a bit so she could follow easily and not get lost.

"Dead Flyer Rock, Penol. We will 'capture' you there," Kirea, the guard, spoke into the night not directly looking in her direction, "Until then, you play along and have your guards lead you straight into our little ambush."

"Dead Flyer Rock, got it," Penol said in acknowledgement as she slowly walked away from the duo. It was only then that she noticed a familiar face in the distance, his face half obscured by elongating shadows of the trees, casting much of the scenery with a darkened void.

He merely gave her a nod as he proceeded to walk into the shadows in the direction of where the western marking line would be. But not even the stench of their markings could hide the foul stench this entire business left in her mind.

 _What have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

Dravos watched for a moment as the female stopped in the middle of her stride and rubbed her beak. There was no possible misreading of her mannerisms or the anguish on her face. Nevertheless, he knew that he had no reason to doubt her resolve.

 _She has put her tail in danger. She has no hope but to go through with it now._

A trap of one's own creation was always the hardest trap to escape from.

The Left Claw shifted his gaze from the female as she began to trek towards the scouting line just as he knew that she would. In order to make this plot be successful he had to add one more critical component.

Penol's sincerity had to be beyond question.

It did not take him long to enter the long, yet narrow trench that had been carved by hand in the tough soil. Like so many of the Punishment Scrapes, it had grown slowly over time like moss on a dead log. Anytime someone violated the rules in a manner that did not warrant a beating or death, or merely needed to be put away before the Great Leader could decide their fate, they would be compelled to help dig the instrument of their own confinement.

He touched the cool, damp soil of the entrance with an odd, perverse kind of reverence. He had visited this squalor throughout his youth as he learned the cold hard truth of the machinations of power. It was here he watched as the previous Left Claw interrogated the occasional criminal. It was here we was made to witness what happened to those of his mental makeup who failed to have enough self-control to avoid mischief. It was here he had learned the old Leader was dead as they gave them all the necessary sharp rocks... It was here that he remained once the last screams had died down.

He sighed. Fate has chosen him in the end. In this burrow of painful memories and breathtaking excitement he could almost, for one moment, pretend that he felt like most people. It was only here he could experience life through the reminder of death, and it was here he would eventually be destroyed by the next leader.

He almost smiled at the thought of Peno perhaps being assigned that task. Fate did have a sadistic sense of humor, or so it seemed to him.

He continued forward with a sudden lurch as he pushed the sentimentality aside. Idle thoughts would do him no favors for what needed to be done with the task at hand.

He turned sharply as the trench suddenly turned perpendicularly at a clump of roots, before deepening from an open-air trench into something approaching a proper burrow. The air soon turned stagnant with the scent of muskiness and earth overriding all else. It did not take him long to find the scent of the three females or to hear the sound of their clawing. He did not need to see them to do his work.

He took a few steps back before clicking his beak. Upon that command a guard's spear dropped from the open trench to the ground below. In the dim light it almost reminded him of the time a sharpened rock had landed at his feet.

It only took him a moment to grab it and point it towards the darkness.

"As you know, you three have been accused of injuring a deputy of the leader…"

The reaction was immediate as the clawing stopped and the begging began.

"Please… we're innocent!"

"Deputy Galva knows that we would never put something in his fish. We just stole it, that's all…"

Dravos brought his foot down with a resounding thud, and the voice became silent.

"All three of you have been accused, and the Leader is most concerned about the accusations. But she knows that Galva is prone to excitability… and is not the most revered of her packmates. But an act of mercy here could invite similar incidents… and we can't have that, can we?"

An audible whimper could be heard in the darkness as the Left Claw motioned for them to come out. "Go into the light and hear your Leader's conditions for your lives."

As the three females slowly walked into the gentle light of the Night Circle he could see the desperation on their faces. The despair of having one's reputation tarnished by the wounded ego of another… the fear of being struck down as an example to others… the helpless of the pit that he recognized all too well.

"You… you are to escort one of our own on a special mission. No one is to be told about this. No one is to be aware of where you are. Simply take her where she tells you and then report back to me."

"We... we can do that," one of the females said, looking at her companions, "Right?" The other two nodded nervously in agreement.

"You are to defend her if she is harmed. But obey her orders above all else," Dravos commanded as he aimed the spear in a less threatening position somewhere in front of his feet, "Any questions?"

Silence greeted his ears for a few moments as the females looked at one another. Then, with an authoritative voice, one of them spoke for them all.

"When do we leave?"

* * *

 **Well it only took us a month this time so we are almost keeping to our original schedule. d-; In all seriousness though, Historian and I both thank you for your patience in waiting for our installments. We hope that the latest installment does not disappoint.**

 **bryan mccloud** : Oh indeed. I might have to make a "Chronos and Logos meets Mender" story as part of a Gang of Five prompt response at some point. It does have great promise in capturing the social cluelessness of the rainbowfaces and Mender's own awkwardness in one fun package. d-;

 **Keijo6** : I am glad that you thought that the dialogue and interactions between Orchid and the children, and with the others, worked well to convey their manner of thinking and reacting to the situation they find themselves in. As for the hidden runner plotlines there is a lot going on which is part of the reason for this interlude to clarify some of the developing plotpoints on that side of the ledger. I don't want to create a story like the "A song of ice and fire" where one has to backtrack 100 pages just to remember why a character was important in the grand scheme of things. Though, admittedly, it can be challenging to reach a balance as far as complexity is concerned. The next chapter will return to a more balanced focus.

 **gordhanx** : Thank you again for your interest in the story. You are quite correct that Leap and Dodger made it across unharmed except for the tiny biters being around. XD Though, of course, things take a more dire term after Purple Tail decided to bite off more than he could chew... or at least try to do so. As for your question about Ovie, the reason why it is a big deal for her to be around a male is the whole "killing babies that aren't yours so the female will go into heat" instinct that many species have. Despite the fact that Orchid is not the sort of dinosaur to let that instinct run free, even he feels the odd tug of it deep in his subconscious in the final scene, hence his willingness to again keep his distance until the children are at the Age of Safety as far as his instincts are concerned.

 **Guest** : Thank you very much for the detailed review. (: It was quite fun writing Purple Tail which is a clueless fool in many ways providing both humor and terror in some measure. Additionally Historian and I both had fun in describing how the characters react to seeing a giant form of a dinosaur that they always assumed was rather modest in size. I am also glad to hear that you enjoyed the tiny biter segment as I was worried about how they would come across in terms of tone. In the end I am glad that the juxtaposition of them next to Leap's injury balances things out in some measure. As for Prizo's story, it is one that I hope has shed some light not only on how other characters have adapted and reacted to the situations they were subjected to, but also on the cultural values of their unique society. If they are still relateable while still being fundamentally alien in some way then I have achieved my task.

 **Thanks again for the reviews, everyone! (: We look forward to your thoughts on the latest installment.**


	28. Chapter 23: A Tiny Problem

**-v-**

 **Author's note:** **This chapter finishes the 'past' story that Leap was telling the kids over the last few chapters. Due to the conclusion of the past story of Mender's first expedition ending up being over 17,500 words it was decided that it would be best to keep this past narrative separate from the continuation of the 'present' story.** **It goes to show you some of the difficulties that can arise when a roleplay is being adapted into part of a standalone story. The 'present' story will resume with Leap concluding his tale at the beginning of the next chapter. Nonetheless, despite the somewhat awkward partition, we hope that you enjoy the latest chapter.**

 **A bonus chapter that is not part of the general narrative of this story (Tracker's scary story to the tiny biters) will be posted in the next few weeks. So be on the lookout for that in the near future. And without further commentary from me, I hope that you enjoy the chapter!  
**

 **~Rhombus**

* * *

 **Chapter 23: A tiny problem**

" **It has not escaped our attention that the Consortium has grown impatient for our report on the spread of medical knowledge and 'healer packs' on this planet. However for such a detailed account it is best to start at the beginning.**

 **~ Officer Chronos, A Brief History of the Healers – from Mender to the Healer Packs**

* * *

 **The past:**

As the young fastbiter took in a deep breath all of the fragrances of the scene washed over her. The moisture of the distant stream carrying across the miles of grassy plain, the pungent scent of decomposing flesh from the nearby corpse of a swimmer who had seen better days, and the alluring hints of blooming plants that would have made her old self salivate at the potential feast. But another scent, more imposing and immediate, ended any daydreaming of what used to be.

The scent of blood. Her friend's blood.

Ducky and Leap had not been close as her other packmates, but she did know enough to respect him as an ally and a friend. Several years would pass before Leap and her would have the fateful prank that would turn into much more. At this moment in time, however, her main focus was on those who were still conscious and aware around her. All they could do for Leap at the moment was wait.

And sometimes waiting was the hardest part.

Ducky turned towards Violet and gave her a gentle nudge. "It will be okay."

"Did we take too long to get here?" Violet wondered aloud.

It was Thud's voice, and not Ducky's, who answered the open question. "You came here just in time. I only wish that we could say the same."

The verdant-feathered fastbiter could only frown at the depressed tone in the pack leader's voice, which came across as neither a growl or a hiss but something in-between. Something simultaneously uncertain and raw. It was a tone that had no word to describe it but which Ducky had heard before. She had heard it after the Battle for the Valley and after their first hunt after their change. It was the sound of barely constrained despair for what one could not change.

She tried to hide her annoyance at the reaction as she could not blame Thud for finally letting his defenses down. But it was the last thing that Violet needed at this moment.

Having noticed the same thing as Ducky, Tracker shifted awkwardly, wanting to say something but very aware that there was quite a gulf in rank between herself and Thud. Luckily for her, Ducky knew an opening when she saw one.

"How are you holding up, Tra-Staza?" Ducky asked suddenly before briefly giving Leap another sniff to make sure the life-scent was still there.

"Not really sure," Tracker admitted, "I'm glad we found them. I just wish it hadn't involved more trouble."

"Trouble have way of finding us," a squawking voice confirmed as it landed nearby, eying Dodger's vigilant form cautiously, "Luckily it look like Purple Tail not wanting to make new trouble."

"Did you find him?" Swift's voice hissed at anger for the big runner. The brief glare was a clear indication on what she considered the best remedy for their 'little problem'.

Petrie took the hint. "Me think he be knocked stupid. He running into forest and running into trees!"

"I'd prefer he run into something sharper," Dodger said without even looking in Petrie's direction.

Ducky could only snort at that. "I am sure the pack will help him get your wish if we ever find him again. Seeker is still mad that he tried to challenge us the last Cold Time. Path still wants to kill him; he does, he does."

"Um, Haven? Could you come over here?" Violet called, sounding slightly panicked.

Ducky practically jumped into position as she quickly inspected Leap's prone body. "Mender? What do you..." she hesitated when she noticed it. It was the slightest hesitation in his breathing.

Swift was at their side in a moment. "What is it?"

Ducky took a deep, calming breath. "This might be a good sign. When my brother knocked himself out he began to do this before he woke up."

"Anything we can do to help him wake up?" Violet asked, hoping Ducky was right.

"Well, when Finder woke up he was not happy; nope, nope, nope! He had a bad headache. So maybe we can use a few no-pain leaves when he wakes up."

"How many you have? Do you need Petrie to get more?" the flyer asked.

Ducky counted the leaves looped around her vine armor. "We have four each."

"I could help find some more."

Ducky looked back to see the bright orange form of Taunt in the background, intentionally avoiding being the center of attention in this most tense of moments. She hesitated to nod as he was meant to be their protection, but that was before they had an entire pack for backup. She finally agreed.

"You do that, Taunt. Spotter can help watch the skies. But make sure…"

Taunt dismissively waved an arm. "I know, I know. They are by the water, so make sure that I don't end up a bellydragger's snack."

"They already had tiny biter, so they might not be that hungry," Dodger suggested, "Whatever you do, try to make as little noise as possible."

Taunt opened his mouth as if to say one of his traditional retorts, but then merely nodded. "Understood."

Dodger glanced back at Leap. "I'll go with you," he finally said, "Keep you from doing anything stupid."

Ducky could only smile as she watched the two retreating forms. Everyone knew that Dodger wanted to do something useful. As the vigil continued, gathering no-pain leaves was as good of a task as any other.

* * *

 **A few moments later:**

"See what we're looking for yet?" Dodger asked, glancing just about every direction but down. After surviving a big biter attack, he wasn't about to die by being surprised by anything smaller.

Taunt snorted as he noticed his counterpart's antics. He was beginning to piece together what it must have been like for Violet growing up. "We are in short grass, Verant; I don't think a giant-ass flyer is going to come around and gobble us up."

"I didn't think I would nearly be eaten by a gigantic fastrunner, but guess what happened?" Dodger retorted, "I'm not taking any chances."

Taunt shook his head with amusement before briefly peeking up into the sky. "There are two kinds of no-pain leaves and a no-pain rot-rock. I don't think they want the rot-rock, though. Not unless they want Leap to see a waking sleep story..." He sniffed the ground. "I smell the little bastards but I am not seeing them."

"Please tell me they're not..." Dodger groaned in frustration. _If those tiny biters slow me down, I'm going to be presenting Staza a very large snack._

As if to emphasize his frustration Taunt reached down into the grass and raised up a single stalk with an annoyed hiss. "I thought tiny biters only ate meat! What the fuck is this?"

"Whatever it is, we should probably go kill ourselves some tiny biters," Dodger said.

* * *

 **A few moments earlier:**

A soft groan emanated from the prone body in a brief spasm of movement before the rhythmic breathing resumed as if he had never been interrupted.

Swift nearly knocked over Ducky before being carefully blocked by Thud.

"Leap! Leap, can you hear me?"

 _I know I would be just as worried if it were Dodger that was hurt, but I'm starting to wonder whether Swift has never seen Leap hurt or seen him hurt too often,_ Tracker thought, _She's never going to be able to calm down if she keeps going on like this._

"This is a good sign. This means that he is about to wake up…"

 _Vio... Mender, you're getting better at sounding confident, but you're not going to convince me just yet,_ Tracker thought, somewhat amused. The brief look Violet gave to Ducky, as if to ask 'right?' only confirmed her lack of certainty.

The nod that Ducky gave, however, made everyone release the breaths that they were not aware that they were holding.

Ducky smiled. "I think that he will be awake soon, but he might not be happy."

Thud finally smiled as well. "One usually does not find happiness in a headbutt."

There was a brief awkward pause as the two healers continued to watch over their patient. It was as if everyone was waiting on a humorous remark about Cera as soon as headbutting was mentioned, but Taunt was not here to do the honors.

That was when Violet suddenly turned her head at something in the distance. She held the gaze for a moment before shaking her head dismissively.

"Violet, did you hear some..." Tracker's head snapped towards where Violet had been looking a moment before. "I'll be right back."

Ducky didn't catch the tone. "Is everything okay? Should we…"

"Tiny biters," Violet noted with amusement as if that said it all.

Tracker moved silently towards the noise, almost giddy with anticipation. She loved hunting tiny biters. This time, she'd be doing more than having fun. She'd be making sure her friends had something to eat.

 _Wow, there sure are a lot of them,_ Tracker thought, noting how much noise was being made from walking and rather clumsy attempts at stealth, _It seems like they're trying to stay low, but with how many it sounds like, all the grass they're brushing against is just plain noisy. I can even see the grass moving in some spots. And I thought the tiny biters my siblings and I hunted were dumb. This is going to be too easy. I could just pick them off, but where's the fun in that?_

As if to further tempt her, the bushes next to Ducky began to sway upon the sudden addition of weight against its branches. Were the tiny biters snakes, one would be close enough to strike at the healers. It looked like she had her first victim.

Tracker shifted just a bit too much as she moved forward, alerting the tiny biters. _Great..._ She lunged forward, coming just short of her target, her teeth brushing a tiny biter's tail.

" **Screeeee!"**

Tracker could hear Thud groan. "If they keep that up, then we all might need no-pain leaves for our heads."

"Run!" several tiny biters screamed at once.

"No!" a distinct voice protested as the grass appeared to part for the tiny biter's dark green form, "We have to help our helpers!"

 _I'm trying to figure out whether this makes them smarter or stupider,_ Tracker thought, looking around in confusion after abandoning her chase, _Whichever it is, I don't think they thought this through very well._

Violet, however, was now perplexed. "Wait! Helpers?"

As if to answer her question the green fastbiter appeared beside Leap's prone form. "You not hurt em! They help us!"

It was at this point that Violet did what any other sensible fastbiter would do when confronted with a tiny carnivore making demands to a much larger predator. She stared at the strange being in confused silence, not quite sure if it was brave or stupid.

"Would you like to say something intelligent, or should I just eat you?" Tracker asked, walking up behind the tiny biter. _Stupid or not, you could at least make some sense._

Behind Tracker, keeping their distance, the rest of the tiny biters peeked over the grass at the scene playing out in front of them.

The tiny biter shook with fear but stood his ground. "He." He pointed at Leap. "help us when the big-water-eaters come. So we help him! You do not hurt him like you hurt his friend!"

Violet groaned. "Are we actually talking to the food?"

Ducky shook her head at this. "You stupid biters, we are not hurting your friend. We are helping him."

"You can understand what we say, so how was that not obvious?" Tracker asked, somewhat stunned that tiny biters apparently couldn't figure out things that she could figure out as a young child.

The tiny biter looked around for a moment in confusion. "Oh… how can we help?"

Ducky took a deep breath as if to regain some sense of sanity, "Right now we are getting ready to use 'no-pain leaves' to help your friend. He is hurt. We are trying to un-hurt him." Ducky raised a leaf for emphasis. "They look like this. You can help us by giving us more of these. Do you understand?"

 _Being this dumb, I'm not sure whether or not I should feel guilty eating them,_ Tracker thought.

The tiny biter's face brightened as he jumped into the air. "We will help big biters help our friend!"

Before anyone had time to say anything or react in a meaningful way the tiny biters disappeared in a flurry of movement as the grass reverberated with the sound of the miniature stampede.

 _Nope. Don't feel guilty at all._

* * *

"We never should have helped these idiots," Dodger muttered.

This made Taunt stop in his tracks. Surely he had misheard.

"Wait! You helped the things?"

Taunt didn't mean to shout at his companion, but in the heat of the moment, with tiny shits taking all of the no-pain leaves, the question seemed to be a good one to broach. _What were you thinking?_

"Leap told them to run instead of stupidly staring at the bellydraggers that were fighting after eating a few of the tiny biters. I told him that was a bad idea, but he didn't listen," Dodger explained.

Taunt groaned as he sniffed the ground in annoyance. In the relatively tall grass the tiny biters had just enough cover to make this difficult. "So the little shits are rewarding us by eating all of the healing leaves? How does that make any sense?"

As if to mock his question the stalks of grass to his left began to shift unnaturally, against the direction of the wind. In a flurry of movement that Dodger had a hard time following Taunt pounced on the site of the anomaly and secured a claw to a tiny biter's neck, only prolonging the planned execution to rant for the sake of his sanity..

"What the fuck are you little shits doing?"

"Let it go, Taunt. It's too stupid to tell us anything," Dodger said, "and Staza won't let you hear the end of it for not killing it immediately."

Luckily for the trapped tiny biter, but not for the sanity of the duo, a lone voice answered in the distance.

"Helper! You help us; now we 'elp you!"

In a scene that made Taunt wonder if he had accidently consumed something hallucinogenic during the journey, a green tiny biter bounded through the grass like a jumping buzzer. It was as if he did not see his companion about to be disemboweled or simply did not care. It wasn't until the little biter had run to within a fastbiter-length of Dodger that Taunt turned his head towards his companion and let go of the tiny biter that he had been holding.

"A friend, I take it?" Taunt asked with a velvety tone that dripped with sarcasm.

"How are you helping us?" Dodger asked, ignoring Taunt, doing his best to remain calm.

Taunt decided to shift his focus to the brave tiny biter as his previous victim scampered off like a ground fuzzy in a burrow. The little biter looked like a normal tiny biter in everything but demeanor, he quickly determined. Small, unimposing, and generally ignorable. But there was something about the eyes that hinted at a higher intellect.

Relatively speaking.

"Other helper hurt! So we 'alk to other Big Ones! They tell us leaves to bring!"

Taunt sighed. "So you talked to Haven, Tracker, and Mendsy… and none of them ate you?"

The tiny biter shook his head as if that were the most normal question in the world. "It close, but we all live!"

"Okay, then. Can you show us what you found?" Dodger asked, wanting to get this over with quickly.

The tiny biter jumped up in the air with excitement as he made a high-pitched screech that surely alerted every predator in the area. "Helper wants to see good plants!"

The grass began to shift again, Taunt noticed, as the sounds of plant brushing against flesh rose above the threshold of the background wind. When the other tiny biters appeared it was obvious that they were going closer to "Helper" as opposed to him.

 _Not completely stupid then. Just mostly stupid._

What happened next then make Taunt gape in shock. One by one the small biters, each rising no taller than his knee, dropped their precious cargo in a disorganized heap. It only took a few moments before there was a pile of healing leaves that was far more substantial than what they could have found in a day. Taunt summed it up in his mind with a single sentence.

 _What they lack in smarts they make up for in numbers, I guess._

"That looks like enough for now," Dodger said, rather surprised by how many leaves the tiny biters had found, "Can you run this back to _Mender_?" He made a point of emphasizing the name for both Taunt and the tiny biters' benefit.

The tiny biter made a little bow as if he were being knocked down by a heavy weight, "Flinter obey Helper! I hope Mendsy is happy!"

And just like that he was gone, disappearing into the grass like a belly slider into its hole. The other tiny biters quickly evacuated, turning into a rampaging horde of mindless movement, trampling the grass under their miniscule weight.

Taunt offered his companion a slight tail-smile.

"Well, look on the bright side: at least they got her name right!"

"I'm going to hurt you," Dodger muttered as he stalked past Taunt.

Taunt read the tone for what it was and decided to keep his mouth shut for the journey back to the pack and their fallen friend. He still allowed himself a small internal smile for his victory. Not only was Leap going to get his healing leaves, but he had gotten the last word.

Though now part of him hoped that the tiny biters would quickly forget the whole 'Mendsy' thing.

* * *

"Mendsy! We get leaves!"

"Its Mender. Not Mendsey, Mender," Violet replied in an exasperated tone. _This is Taunt's fault. It has to be._ She forced herself to calm down. "Please put the leaves over by Leap," she said, gesturing in the direction of Leap's prone form.

One by one, in an odd mockery of strict order, each tiny lay their cargo down until there was a small heap the size of a fastbiter's tail. It was nearly enough leaves to tend to an entire pack of injuries. Then, in reverse order, the tiny biters returned to a line.

 _I guess that is their pack ranking…_ Mender thought to herself.

"Flinter hope it help Helper!" Flinter noted with enthusiasm, "Other helper say it might help!"

"Orange one mean, though!" another protested in the background.

"Sush, Vintor!" Flinter reprimanded, "Orange One might be helper's friend!"

"Why are you still here?" Violet thought aloud. _You've helped. Now you can leave. Or get a little further away from here before Staza eats you._

Ducky and Tracker both looked at the tiny biters oddly as if curious about the answer to that question as well. Thud, meanwhile, looked on with concern.

Flinter looked confused as he looked around. "Helper tell us to follow 'em, so we did. He leader now."

It was then that Violet heard a deep inhale and a chuckle from behind her. "Oh, you are going to have such a surprise when you wake up, brother. You're a pack leader now."

Thud snorted. "This is why we have pack tests before letting people join."

 _I've got to do something about this mess,_ Violet thought. "Did Leap give any indication that he wanted to be your leader?" she asked the tiny biters.

The tiny biters looked at one another in confusion as muted muttering could be heard. The thirty or so bodies had gone from a silent line to a loud comphony of sound in a matter of seconds. But then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the group fell silent again as Flinter spoke for them all.

"Who Leap?'

"How stupid are you?" Violet blurted out. _How do you... I really should just ask Staza to get rid of them._

"Leap is who is hurt right now," Ducky offered diplomatically, "He wanted you to follow him to be safe; not for him to be your leader."

Flinter blinked at this. "We not believe you! We follow Hel… Leap until he says not follow!"

"You didn't even know his name. Why would you think someone whose name you don't know and is much bigger than you would want to have anything to do with you?" Violet asked. _I'm still wondering why anyone wants to hang around me. I definitely never assumed any of them would want to be my friend. For all the tiny biters could know, Leap might just want to eat them instead of something else. There's a reason I don't trust two-footers._

"Because he 'elp us!" another tiny biter said as the others began to mutter in agreement. As if to punctuate the point several of them sat down.

Violet was about to say something further when there was a commotion in the group of tiny biters. "It the Orange One!"

 _Great. They don't know Taunt is someone that shouldn't always be taken seriously,_ Violet thought with a sigh, _At least Verant is back._

"Well… at least you all have the healing leaves now," Taunt muttered as he came into view. He kept on walking until both he and Dodger were beside Tracker.

"Any change?" Dodger asked finally.

"Nope. He's still out," Violet replied.

There was an audible sigh from Taunt which caused Violet to shift her gaze from the patient back to her packmate. The view that greeted her was a long glance between Taunt and Ducky. A glance that communicated volumes. They were growing very concerned.

 _I wish Leap would wake up. The longer he stays like this the more likely we'll lose him. Especially with that giant monster still out there._ Violet shuddered. _Swift's already not handling this too well. Then again, I didn't handle Dodger being hurt too well. If I lost him..._ Violet felt more than a little sick, the mere thought of her brother no longer being around making her start to panic. Though she could not detect that tell-tale scent others could.

However, only a tiny biter was stupid enough to alert her to this fact.

"Mendsy smell sad. She okay?"

"It's Mender!" Violet snapped in the tiny biter's direction, immediately broken out of her panic. In response the tiny biters moved en masse like a flock of flyers being disturbed by a loud noise. _You can insult me but not my name._

Taunt coughed awkwardly as he felt the icy stare of Dodger from behind him. "I helped cause that… so I will try to fix it."

 _It's too late, Taunt,_ Violet thought with a bit of amusement as she watched Taunt try to get the tiny biters to say her name correctly, _I don't think they can learn a name twice. If they keep following us, I'm going to trick them into thinking_ you _are their leader. Okay, maybe that's too much, but... augh. At least it's only these stupid things and not the entire Mysterious Beyond._

"It's Mend-er. Mend-er."

"Mends-er. Mendser!"

"Sigh… well it's a start."

 _That might actually be worse,_ Violet thought, sighing.

"Urgh… too loud…"

"Leap!" Violet immediately spun around to check on the injured fastbiter.

That was when she her view of the injured fastbiter was quickly obscured by the body of another fastbiter.

"Brother, you're awake!"

Violet carefully moved herself so that she had a view of Leap and not of Swift's rear end. Within a split second both she and Ducky were on either side of the injured fastbiter as his eyes clenched shut in pain, as if forsaking the light of the fading day.

"Ugh… Swift?" he replied after a pause as he reluctantly opened his eyes, barely managing to keep them focused on his sister.

Swift nodded excitedly before hissing in a low voice to spare his ears, "We were all very concerned about you. You were asleep for a long time."

It was then that Ducky butted in, albeit carefully. "I need to check a few things, Leap. Can you look at me a moment?"

Leap's eyes fluttered about in confusion. "Haven?"

"We got sent to help," Violet explained, remembering how confused she was from her own head injuries, especially when she couldn't remember things, "How do you feel?"

Leap groaned. "Like I just slammed by head into a rock."

"Well, you hit Purple Tail with your head, so that is not far off," Dodger noted as he walked near the healing leaves, just waiting for the signal to be useful.

Ducky nodded as she looked into Leap's eyes. "Okay, Mender, do you remember about the eye test for head wounds?"

"You'd probably better do it," Violet said, "I was the one hurt the last time." _I don't want to mess this up._

Ducky shook her head. "We will do this together. You need to see what it looks like when a head is injured."

The sudden appearance of fear scent from Swift was quite noticeable to everyone present, apart from Violet. What she did notice, however, was Thud carefully walking to Swift's side and laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Let's let the healers work, okay?"

Within a moment both healers were left with their patient as the others looked on from a short distance away.

 _So this is what I looked like,_ Violet thought, _It's a good thing I couldn't see myself._

"Okay, Leap, I want you to follow my claw with your eyes," Ducky explained slowly in a calm voice. "Can you do that?"

Leap attempted to nod but stopped his attempt as soon as he saw Ducky shake her head. He finally gave an affirmative grunt.

Ducky moved her claw to the left and then the right several times, before she finally moved the claw up and down. It was then that Violet saw something that she had never seen when she had practiced this with Ducky on a healthy dinosaur. The pupils were beginning to uncontrollably jerk back and forth as he tried to follow the claw.

 _That's not good,_ Violet thought, _Now that I know what that sign of head injury sickness looks like, I wish I didn't. It's kinda disturbing._ "Don't move your head too quickly, Leap," she said, concerned Leap would hurt himself further.

Ducky nodded. "It is good that you are awake. That is a good sign, but you have the Shaken Head Sickness."

For his part, Leap closed his eyes and snorted with some amusement. "Well my head is pounding so I could have told you that."

"Keep your eyes open, Leap!" Violet suddenly hissed, which surprised nearly everyone present, most notably Leap, whose eyes widened.

Ducky nodded and raised a placating hand. "You need to keep your eyes open for awhile. No sleeping until it is the time to sleep, yep, yep, yep."

Silence reigned for several moments as Leap appeared to stare at something in the distance. When he finally did speak it was in an exhausted, small voice.

"Otherwise I might not wake up, right?"

Ducky placed a hand on his shoulder before speaking authoritatively, "If we have anything to do with it you will be fine."

"If I'm alright after more than one head injury, you'll definitely be fine." _Well, I have forgotten quite a few things that I've only recently remembered,_ Violet thought. "Er, maybe I'm not the best example."

Leap could only smile at that. "Maybe if I am lucky I can forget Purple Tail."

 _You're not the only one,_ Violet thought, _I'm going to have scary sleep stories for a long time thanks to that thing._

"Will 'elper Leap be okay?"

Leap's gaze appeared to stare off into the distance again, but this time it was attempting to focus on something that was most certainly there. Around thirty somethings, actually.

Taunt looked around as he noticed the awkward silence that followed. "Well, they didn't forget about you."

* * *

 **Seeker's territory:**

"What?"

Petrie had expected this result as soon as he landed in the pack's meeting area. They had been prepared for many things, anything from a miraculous recovery of their former packmates to an unbearable tragedy, but the story he was forced to relay was almost too absurd to believe.

"I'm sorry, Spotter, but this confusing story confuses us," Ruby clarified as she rubbed her head, "So Leap and Dodger were okay and then Purple Tail hurt Leap?"

The flyer rubbed his talons against the branch awkwardly. "It hurt Purple Tail more, it sounds like! But Leap have the Head Injury Sickness," he quickly spoke up before the group could erupt into commotion again, "But he awake and they look at him now."

"Mender and Haven?" Littlefoot prompted for confirmation as he began to calm down with the news that the injury was being treated.

Petrie nodded and allowed himself a bit of levity. "Yeah, and a bunch of tiny biters too."

The rest of the pack shared a long look with varying degrees of confusion among them. Cera looked ready to strangle someone for the frustration and fear this entire situation had bestowed upon everyone. Breeze looked ready to sprint off in aid of their allies, whereas Spike looked ready to put the absurd spectacle behind him and take a nap. Littlefoot, meanwhile, merely looked at the flyer with a bemused expression.

"Perhaps you should start at the beginning, Spotter."

* * *

 **Thud's pack:**

It had been several hours since Leap had finally been permitted to fall asleep, with Swift on one side and the healers on the other. Dodger fell asleep beside Tracker, though for reasons Dodger couldn't understand the entire pack of tiny biters decided to rest beside him.

Thud, meanwhile, opted to keep watch for the first part of the night. From his position he could notice the agitated shaking of the Violet's tail. _I hope it is a pleasant sleep story, Mender._

As she continued to twitch during the night, he turned his head away from the stream. It was a clear, beautiful night.

" _Look, here comes Worthless! I bet the only thing she can smell is her family's shame!"_

 _Violet just cringed and tried to hide behind her siblings. She'd screwed up again; there was no denying that._

 _The black fastbiter who had loudly mocked Violet eagerly accepted the praise of his mother as he obtained a portion of the flyer corpse that he had tracked. It was a reward for success that Violet had never obtained._

" _Alright!" a large adult female, one of the pack mothers, exclaimed, "That was a nice job from most of you! Now it is time to track a body that is not quite so ripe!"_

 _She held out the tail of a small swimmer. "We have hidden ten of these in the forest, and it is up to each family to find them. The two with the highest totals get to eat five each."_

" _And what about the losers?" the black youngling asked, glaring at Violet and her siblings._

 _The female shrugged. "If you fail to find food in the Mysterious Beyond then you go hungry. The losing families will experience the same thing today." She then held up her hand, "Begin!"_

 _Not able to actually smell anything, Violet followed her siblings as they tried to sniff out the swimmer tails._

" _Ha! Got one!" the black fastbiter bragged as he let one of his siblings take his catch to the pack mother. It was obvious that he had run out of the woods merely to show off to the less lucky families. "Only nine to go!"_

 _As he turned tail and ran, he left his competitors more than a bit dejected. His sniffer was the best in the pack._

 _Violet groaned in frustration._

" _It's just one, Violet," Dodger said, not even turning around, "There are plenty more to find."_

 _Chirps of happiness came from nearby as another family secured their own swimmer tail. It was obvious that only eight tails remained._

 _Violet did her best to not react. Already considering herself useless, the last things she wanted to do was turn herself into a distraction._

" _Okay, everyone. We're splitting up. Violet's with me." The other three fastbiters quickly split off from Violet and Dodger. With him being the pack leader among the siblings they weren't about to question Dodger's orders. At least not out loud and in front of him._

" _You okay, Violet?" Dodger asked once they were alone._

" _I'm fine," Violet replied._

 _Dodger found neither his sister's tone nor her scent convincing, but he decided to let her be, at least until he wasn't pressed for time. He started back on the trail he had been following._

" _I think I smell one. Come on," Dodger said before hurrying in the direction of the scent. Violet hurried after him, barely managing to close the gap her startled pause had created._

" _Ha! Got it!" a rather familiar black fastbiter exclaimed as he climbed down the tree. It was only when he was halfway down that he noticed Violet but did not yet see Dodger. "Too slow, no-sniffer."_

" _You never did learn to mind your surroundings," Dodger said mockingly from slightly above and to the other fastbiter's left._

 _The black fastbiter was obviously startled but was too prideful to back down. "Amazing that I missed your stench. I must be catching whatever your sister has."_

 _Dodger's only answer was to tackle the other fastbiter out of the tree, making a point to slash his claws across the other fastbiter's nose as he did so._

" _Ahhh!"_

 _The swimmer's tail tumbled to the ground at Violet's feet as the running feet of the black youngling's siblings could be heard in the distance._

" _Grab it and go!" Dodger ordered before returning to the business of making sure that a certain fastbiter would think long and hard before insulting his sister again._

 _Violet grabbed the swimmer tail and ran. She didn't stop until she reached the adult supervising the practice._

" _You got one?" she asked with barely concealed surprise, but that was when she caught the scent of Dodger and anger, "Where?"_

 _Violet just pointed back the way she had come. It was practically a straight line, and a rather painful one. Going through branches rather than around them definitely hadn't been her best idea._

" _A good pack member favors her pack over themselves," was all that she said as she realized what Violet had done, and then she sprinted full force into branches in the same way that Violet had done. It did not take long before the sound of raised voices could be heard._

" _Stop where you are! Who are the two who started this?"_

 _Violet had done her best to follow but was barely able to keep up. Once she got back to where she started she hid behind a tree and listened._

" _I got that tail fairly, and Dodger tried to take it!"_

" _Then how did Violet get it, Nightshade?"_

" _Because Dodger gave it to his worthless…"_

" _Enough, Nightshade! Dodger, what do you have to say for yourself?"_

" _I acted within the rules and did what was best for my pack," Dodger replied._

 _Violet bit her tongue to keep from laughing._ He knows the rules almost as well as Dad, _she thought,_ I'm not certain if he could actually break the rules if he wanted to, anyway...

" _In a pack such battles are sometimes to the death. Both of you should think about that before trying to express dominance, or insulting another packmate…" She glanced at Nightshade. "Both of you are injured, so go back to your nests. That is your punishment. Everyone else, continue the game."_

 _Dodger bowed, making a point to show respect to the adult. It hurt a bit, but he'd had worse during sparring practice._

" _That includes you, Violet."_

" _Ma'am?" Violet replied, coming out from her hiding place. Much to her surprise everyone else was gone._

 _The adult tilted her head. "You chose a difficult path to reach me, and you will have a difficult path in life. Just see to it that when you try to hide next time that you hide downwind." She smiled. "Back to practice. Your family has one tail right now."_

 _Violet smiled back before remembering to bow._ Dodger would not be happy if I forgot that, _she thought,_ Now how am I supposed to find my siblings? _She turned and left uncertainly, unsure which way to go._

 _As the adult watched the small youngling struggle to find the right direction to go, she couldn't help but shake her head, "You may not know where to go, Violet, but I am sure you will go wherever you need."_

* * *

" **Tap!"**

"Wha..?" Violet asked sleepily.

" **Tap!"**

"Taunt!" Violet snapped irritably, now much more awake.

"And that is exactly why I kept my distance," Taunt replied with some amusement before suddenly becoming more serious, "You wanted to be woken up when the Bright Circle rose."

"Oh. Thanks," Violet replied awkwardly, "Have you seen Haven?"

Taunt nodded as he gestured towards the horizon. "You know the Big Ground Sweets we found over in the bushes?"

Violet nodded.

"Well, we have to have some way to give Leap water, and she is not comfortable moving him so… she is trying to see if we can use those to carry water," Taunt clarified, "The rest of the pack is scouting for food and potential threats."

"Wha... okay. I'm going to..." Violet looked over at Leap, "I'm going to check on Leap."

Taunt watched as she walked over to the still snoring fastbiter. She walked with deliberate purpose for a few strides before noticing his peaceful demeanor and quickly sitting down again, her head slightly bowed as if indicating disappointment. It would do her no good to wake up a resting patient.

But if her odd behavior and hesitation did not tell him what he needed to know, her scent completed the puzzle. There was the acrid scent of guilt and a scent he was more acquainted with from his mate, frustration. It did not take a whole lot of extrapolation to determine that she was feeling guilty and useless because everyone else was busy helping while she had been left behind.

 _Good going, Taunt. You explained things so badly that Mender is full of doubt again._ Now realizing his error, he decided to clarify things.

"They wanted to let you sleep in as you stayed up for first watch," Taunt spoke softly, "And on the journey here you did not get much sleep at all. Besides… I can wake people up if he needs help, but I am not a healer. You are."

"Not a good one, apparently," Violet muttered to herself.

Taunt sighed. _Here we go again._ "Good enough to help Haven with the mess Leap was in, and good enough to be trusted with him now. Don't be so hard on yourself."

"I just don't want to mess anything up," Violet said, "Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking volunteering to come out here on my own. If Haven hadn't come with us, I wouldn't have remembered what to do."

"Like how to treat water breathing sickness?" Taunt rattled off with a smirk, already knowing the result.

"Well, if that happened then we would need to keep him upright and allow any water to come out. Then…" Violet quickly went from a thoughtful expression to a surprised one once she realized what was happening.

"You remember more than you think," Taunt countered with a victorious strut as if confirming him 'winning' the conversation.

"So, what are you guys talking about?" Tracker asked, having approached from behind Taunt.

Taunt barely resisted the urge to leap upon hearing the voice behind him. Instead he allowed himself to give the intruder an exasperated response.

"I see you are trying to give Mender practice for how to treat a panic attack!"

"Actually, Staza's the expert on that," Violet admitted sheepishly.

"Vi-Mender," Tracker said with a sigh.

Not missing the obvious undertones Taunt decided to steer the conversation, as it was, into a more productive direction. "We were talking about how to heal different things. Mender seems to think she has a weaker memory for healing than she actually does."

"You seemed to remember things rather well when you were showing me how to fix a broken bone," Tracker told Mender, "I couldn't have kept track of all that."

"I guess that's why you aren't called Tracker anymore," Taunt joked with an exaggerate tail-smile before seeing Tracker's glare and quickly getting to the point, "That was the first healing that the rainbowfaces taught us. It is what saved me after Redclaw and Calin…"

Tracker noticeably cringed at the mention of that name.

"...but I could never make heads or tails of it," Taunt added, "I just considered it as one of those things that were crazy rainbowface crap."

"It's not that complicated. It's supposed to keep the bone from moving around," Violet said, "Otherwise the break gets worse, or, if the bone is already completely broken in two, you might get to see what your own bones look like."

Taunt cringed as memories of his own horrific injury came flooding back into his mind. "Remind me to never piss you off if you are my healer, Mender."

"Urgh… I'm not in trouble, am I?"

All three heads suddenly turned at Leap's muffled speech registered in their ears. With his eyes half-open and his tail twitching in a somewhat annoyed expression it did not take much interpretation to tell that their conversation had awakened him.

"Sorry, Leap," Violet said, "How are you feeling?"

Taunt stepped a bit closer so that he could look at his injured comrade. Several distinct scratches remained as a testament to the collision with Purple Tail. Which, in Taunt's mind, answered the age old question of what happened when pure stubbornness collided with pure stupidity. The only other sign of the trauma of the previous day was a curious daze in Leap's eyes, but it had noticeably cleared from the day prior. It was a very hopeful sign.

"Like a threehorn decided to dance on my head," Leap grumbled, "But… I think…"

He allowed himself to sit up. He blinked a few times before finishing his thoughts.

"...things don't seem as hazy as they were before."

"Can you tell how many claws I'm holding up?" Tracker asked, wanting to help.

Taunt watched as Leap tried to focus on Tracker's claws.

"Two."

"He's doing better than you did," Tracker said, slightly relieved.

"It's not my fault the world was still spinning," Violet retorted.

Leap tail-smiled weakly as he looked at Taunt, "So you're Thud, right?"

The response was as instinctive as it was foreseeable. Taunt quickly moved his right leg in an obscene gesture, aiming the sickle claw towards the ground.

Violet groaned in frustration. Tracker just glared at Taunt.

Leap's tail-smile widened. "I can tell you how many he is holding up!"

Taunt could only roll his eyes at the resulting response. Head injury or not, Leap seemed quite capable of getting a rise out of him.

"Well, he out 'Taunt'-ed me. I am not sure if that is a great sign or a worrisome one," Taunt retorted self-deprecatingly.

"I can give you a reason to be worried," Tracker said, still angry.

Taunt met the eyes of the female fastbiter but wisely held his tongue. It had not been the first time that a friendly bit of banter was seen as something else by those unfamiliar with Taunt's _unique_ manner of expression.

"Could I have a no-pain leaf?"

Leap's request seem to evaporate the awkward tension in the air as soon as it had reared its ugly head. It was only when he looked at the injured fastbiter that he caught the slightest hint of a tail flick in his direction, the fastbiter equivalent of a wink. Taunt could only nod; he owed him one.

"I'll be right back," Violet said, moving towards the nearby pile of leaves, "Staza, could you give me a hand?"

"Sure," Tracker said, quickly following Violet.

Taunt tilted his head at this exchange, curiosity beginning to overtake him. He finally decided to stand watch as they worked so as to make himself useful, but he kept an eye on the goings on as the two females worked.

Or rather, as one female directed the other.

"He can eat this one, but I need to put this on the scratches. Can you hold his head for me?"

"Sure."

As if predicting what would happen before it came to pass, Leap quickly grinded the no-pain leaves in his mouth as his face contorted in disgust as the bitter taste. That was when Violet showed Tracker where to place her hands.

"You sure this works?" Tracker asked, having only ever associated fireweed with painful things to avoid.

Taunt took a step back. He knew very well what that plant was. His mother made sure that he never forgot after he had the bright idea of trying some as a child.

"It hurts, but it hurts the infection too. Or at least that is what Haven told me."

Leap blinked, not quite being comfortable with how constrained his head was between the claws of the two females. "What is _it_?"

"Fireweed," Violet replied, "It'll only hurt a bit."

And with that Violet worked with the efficiency of a fastrunner grabbing snapping shells. Before Leap could protest the offending leaves were embedded in the scratches on Leap's head. With a firm yet circular motion she rubbed the burning sap wherever the skin had been broken by the impact. For his part, after an initial jerk when the procedure began, Leap maintained an almost stoic paralysis during the treatment. A moment that seemed to stretch on for an eternity as Taunt watched, being fully aware of how brutal the sap could be.

 _Don't let anyone call you weak, Leap._ He shook his head with a mixture of amusement and surprise, _And if I ever get a cut I need to make sure that Mender never finds out._

And as soon as the procedure had begun it was already over. Violet quickly directed Tracker where to spit in order to rub off the offending sap with a few normal leaves. It did not take them long to remove the worst of it from the injured fastbiter's body.

"You're going to be fine, Leap," Violet said, "That's the last time you have to endure that. Unless you get hurt again, that is."

"That stuff is awful!" Leap exclaimed as he rubbed the afflicted area. It did not take him long to discover the benefit of the treatment, however. "The blood-suckers are gone!"

"That's the whole point, Leap," Violet said with a laugh.

"I was beginning to think the point was to punish me for using my head," Leap deadpanned as he continued to rub his aching head.

Taunt shook his head with amusement at the antics of the others as he turned back towards his vigilant watching. Despite all of the stress over the last two days, it looked like everyone was going to be alright. All they needed now was the agreement of Ducky that the treatment was effective and for Petrie to come back with Littlefoot's new orders and they could be ready to head back home.

"Got more healing leaves for Helpers!"

"Be careful, Swerve!"

Taunt closed his eyes for a moment. He could only hope that Petrie decided to leave this part of the situation out of his report. Though they had helped in getting healing leaves, the clinginess of the little biters tried both his instincts and his patience. There were multiple reasons why tiny biters were seen as food at best, or annoyances at worst, by larger fastbiters. But yet Leap seemed to have managed to earn their undying loyalty. Taunt only wished he had earned the loyalty of dinosaurs who understood the meaning of "We already have enough no-pain leaves to heal the entire Mysterious Beyond".

He chuckled as he saw the distant tiny biter leap above boulders, which were enormous for the little dinosaur, but would have only rose to Taunt's ankles. _This idiot is going to get himself killed._

That was exactly when the tiny biter misjudged a leap, and his foot caught the top of the rock, sending him hurtling towards the ground.

 **Screeeeeeee!**

"Is it dead?" Tracker asked, sounding a bit too happy at the prospect.

Taunt trotted out to the site of the injury which only took a few moments as he walked over the rocks that had been boulders to the tiny biters and peeked over the bushes to see the end result of the tiny biter's miscalculation.

The sight was not a pleasant one.

The tiny biter had collapsed in pain as its left forearm hung at an odd angle from its body. For a larger predator such an injury would mean a painful recovery and permanent disability at best, but for a kind with such limited options for prey… this was probably a death sentence. If not soon then later on.

The tiny biter shuddered as it screeched again. Looking around Taunt quickly ascertained that they had an audience as numerous small eyes could be seen in the grass, shining in the mid-morning Bright Circle.

 _You poor, stupid bastard,_ Taunt thought simply before another screech from the injured tiny biter made him feel more than a little guilty. It was not hard for him to remember that with a few details changed, such as him having a broken leg and not being a tiny idiot, this was him. He had nearly died painfully, and it was only the kindness of others that saved him.

Taunt sighed. "It has a broken arm. Maybe we can give it a no-pain leaf or something?"

"How bad?" Violet asked, rushing over.

Taunt stepped aside, gesturing at the screeching heap. "It looks pretty bad."

"Oh, this doesn't look good," Violet said, "Hold still, buddy. You'll hurt yourself more."

Taunt opened his mouth to speak but quickly decided better of it. Perhaps Violet was having the same thoughts that he was?

He hesitated. "How big of a pain leaf?"

"Maybe a stem?" Violet guessed.

Taunt quickly nodded before he trotted off to grab one of the infamous leaves. In the process he passed by a rather bemused Tracker. He barely was able to hear her assessment of the situation.

"We're really helping these guys?" Tracker wondered, "I'm surprised there are any tiny biters here at all. Too easy to die out here."

Taunt grimaced. He wanted to agree with his counterpart's assessment, but there was still the image from a time from not so long ago. A time when he was the one tasting dirt as his leg quivered in unresolvable pain. A time when he did not beg for an impossible healing, burt rather for a merciful end. But in the end it was a healer that he received.

And that made all the difference.

"I guess she wants to help," Taunt whispered back as he watched Violet work her magic.

"Help how?" Tracker responded, "My siblings and I used to hunt these guys when we were _little_. They're not exactly bright."

 _No shit. This guy tripped over a rock that was a big as he was!_ Taunt agreed mentally, but there was something that made any of his objections moot. "Leap decided to help them, and they helped Leap. This is a small honor debt to pay."

"How often have you been around tiny biters?" Tracker asked skeptically.

"A tiny bit," he deadpanned before the scene in front of him overtook their banter.

Violet secured the tiny biter's arm with both hands despite a screech of protest from her patient, as she snuggly placed both of her legs on either side of the tiny biter's body. As if on cue the tiny biter appeared to go limp, as if subdued by some mysterious force.

Violet sighed nervously. "I guess Haven is right about that working on younglings… maybe it works on all small things?"

Taunt stepped forward to assist but was swiftly interrupted by Violet's firm command.

"I need a stick the size of his arm, understand?"

The tiny biters stared at her as if mesmerized by an impossible scene. Their lack of movement was only transcended by the vacancy of their eyes.

"Now!" Taunt hissed. It was only then that the little audience scattered, no doubt sprinting to carry out the larger predator's directive.

* * *

 _I've seen Mender do a lot of strange things, but this is probably the strangest thing I've seen her do,_ Tracker thought as she watched her friend try to help the injured tiny biter.

"You really think he'll make it long enough for that arm to heal?" Tracker asked Violet, giving a meaningful look at the limp tiny biter.

"Here, I'm not sure. But I can't do nothing," Violet replied.

"I am sure you will do your best," Taunt's voice came from somewhere behind them before a clicking of sickle claws could be heard, "Um… here is half a stem of the no-pain leaf."

Tracker could only watch in bemusement as he handed a barely visible section of a no-pain leaf to the healer. The size of the dose only brought to the fore the full extent of the absurdity of the entire situation. Her friend was healing food.

"Thanks," Violet said before almost force-feeding it to the tiny biter.

 _Apparently Mender's little trick worked a bit too well,_ Tracker thought, _Seriously, why are we helping these guys?_

"We bring sticks!"

As if to punctuate her question several small bodies appeared once more from the tall grass, each carrying sticks of various sizes. Despite a few instance of tiny biters carrying sticks longer than their bodies, there were several of the requested size.

Violet quickly grabbed one of the sticks without preamble, nearly sending the tiny biter holding it sprawling to the ground. Then, with a quick movement of her claws she removed a bit of the vine that had been clasping some of her healing leaves to her body.

"Okay, tiny guy, what is your name?"

The tiny biter continued to quiver in pain despite being in a subdued position. However, upon hearing the larger biter he appeared to snap out of his trance.

"Sw-swerve."

Violet nodded kindly as she laid out two small strips of vine. "Okay, Swerve, I am going to have to keep your arm straight. Do you promise not to bite or scratch me while I do this?"

 _If you want him to hold still, I could threaten to bite his head off,_ Tracker thought, _Not very nice, but that's probably all he'd understand._

Tracker could not tell if the tiny biter could see her or not, but she liked to believe that it had something to do with the biter's tiny nod.

"Give him this to bite on, just in case."

Taunt dropped a small stick beside Violet's feet. The suggestion was quickly implemented as Violet placed the stick in the tiny biter's mouth. The small predator bit down instinctually.

 _I guess Taunt does think about more than messing with everyone,_ Tracker thought, _Not a bad idea, Taunt. Guess I would have had to bite this guy's head off without him having something else to bite._

What followed next fascinated her to no end. In one swift move she placed her body over the tiny biter, forcing away any opportunity to squirm or strike. Then, using both of her hands, she held the arm outstretched as if to replicate its original position. The only thing drowning out a deafening screech was the wood between her patient's teeth.

 _Yeesh. That's gotta hurt,_ Tracker thought.

Violet was not done as she held the stick close to the tiny biter's injured flesh. Using one arm to hold the stick and appendage steady, she used the other arm and her teeth in order to secure the stick with a vine. With equal speed and determination she did the same to the other end.

And then she scampered away from the patient. The procedure was done.

 _You've definitely learned a lot, Mender._

But that was when she noticed what had made Violet so concerned. There had been no recovery from the procedure. In fact, the tiny biter was not moving at all.

 _Okay, what's wrong with this guy?_ Tracker wondered, _No wonder Mender's worried. I hope he gets up soon. She's never handled failure well._

Violet continued to stare at the prone tiny biter with steadily growing terror. Her expression and demeanor left nothing to the imagination. Nonetheless her scent provided further confirmation. She was petrified. This was more than her profession - this was her _name_.

 _Yep, we've got a big problem,_ Tracker thought, glancing at Taunt. She carefully walked over to her friend, Taunt soon joining her. "You okay, Mender?" she asked.

Violet was silent as she continued to stare at the prone tiny biter. A testament to her failure as a healer and a pack member. A final confirmation of…

"Ack!"

The tiny biter spat out the stick as his eyes opened widely onto the world around him. His arm still quivered in pain, but now it was oddly immobile.

"Swerve okay!"

"He has stick arm now!"

Like a rock dam being broken by a stream's overflowing waters, the other tiny biters quickly mobbed around their comrade. He was still injured, but now there was hope.

That was when the fire returned to Violet's eyes.

"Now you need to make sure that you do not use the arm for anything for an entire Night Circle cycle! Let the bone mend, and in two Night Circle cycles you can use it."

Swerve seemed oddly confused. "Night Circle cycle?"

Violet tail smiled slightly. "You know when the Night Circle is full like it is now?"

"It day now," one of their number responded.

Tracker closed her eyes. _Ancestors give me strength._

Violet's tail twitched. "Yes. But tonight it will be full again. Wait for it to go from full Night Circle to small Night Circle to full Night circle again. That's a Night Circle cycle."

Swerve nodded slowly as he continued to grimace in some pain. "Oh. So I not use arm for while."

Violet nodded. "That's right. But it should get better with time." She looked at the others. "I am trusting all of you to keep an eye on him. Make sure that he follows those rules."

A chorus of affirmative chirps greet her ears as the tiny biters then received their injured comrade once more. Each being careful to not touch his 'stick arm', as they called it.

"You think they'll remember that tomorrow?" Tracker wondered aloud.

Taunt allowed himself a smirk. "We'll know if Mender has to get another stick tomorrow. It's a shame Mender can't fix minds."

Perhaps it was the fact that her barriers were down after seeing her work nearly fail in front of her eyes, but she responded in kind, "I'm sure if that worked then Haven would have tried it on you already."

Tracker noticed Violet's face shift from mirthful to afraid as she realized exactly what she had said.

"Ha! Well played," Taunt responded as if not detecting Violet's uncertainty.

 _Stop giving me reasons to give you credit, Taunt,_ Tracker thought, glad to see Violet's fears were unfounded, _It makes it harder for me to glare at you when you're being a negative influence._

Violet finally seemed to relax for a second time as her tail sagged as if fatigued. It had been only an hour since she had awakened, but she had lived more than a day's worth of stress. And if Tracker knew anything, it was how Violet dealt with stress.

"Wish I'd known how to do that," Tracker said as she sat down by her friend.

Violet sat down as well, as if her friend had given her permission through her presence.

"You alright, Mender?" Tracker asked, noticing how tired her friend already looked.

Violet was silent for a few moments before her voice finally came out in a hushed tone that Tracker could barely hear. "I thought that I screwed up again. If I screwed this up, then I wouldn't even be worth my name."

"That's crap, and you know it," Tracker snapped reflexively.

Violet jerked reflexively as if she had been struck. "I mean… Haven should be the one here, not me. If it had only been me helping out Leap…" She allowed the sentence to fade before she expressed what was really on her mind. "If I screw up, someone dies."

"Sometimes, there's nothing that can be done to change things, Mender. You can do everything exactly right, and sometimes things still won't work out the way you want them to. I should know," Tracker said, "I lost a half-sibling to freezing to death once, and it wasn't because our parents weren't trying. There really wasn't anything to find. All you can do is your best, and, if you've done that, there's nothing to blame yourself over."

Violet nodded reluctantly as the truth of Tracker's words registered in her mind. "I've never been given responsibility like this before, Tr.. Staza. If I had when we were packmates, then…"

"Then you would have learned what you needed to do and tried your hardest to get it right," Tracker finished for her, cutting off what she knew her friend was going to say, "You don't have to do any of this alone. I might not know what to do, but I can listen. If you need some help or you just want to talk, I'm right here."

Violet took a deep breath. "And there are our packs. We came over here to help all of you, and we know you would do the same for us. I just don't want to let anyone down."

"You're not going to, little sister; you never have," Tracker replied, smiling encouragingly.

Violet replicated the smile as she basked in the companionship of her friend. She had missed this since Tracker's departure from the pack. Though she was technically part of a new pack family now, Tracker would always be in her thoughts.

"How's the tiny biter?"

Violet closed her eyes as the sound of Leap's voice registered in her ears. It was in that moment that both of the mutually-proclaimed sisters realized that a certain fastbiter had strayed from their thoughts and attention.

Tracker received an apologetic look before Violet spun around with such intensity that it made Leap stop in his tracks.

"I told you it was a bad idea, Leap!" Taunt's voice warned from a distance.

"You have a head injury, and Haven said no moving around!" Violet rebuked promptly as Leap looked at her with a stunned expression.

"Well, I feel good enough to walk," Leap affirmed as he gestured at where he came from, "I didn't run or anything."

Violet nodded. "And you aren't going to run or anything back over there. You are going to walk. Otherwise Haven will be at both of our throats."

 _Well, that's different,_ Tracker thought, slightly surprised at Violet's change in demeanor, _Looks like she's perfectly confident when she's acting as a healer. When she's not... she's the same Mender I've always known._

"Swerve has stick arm now from Great Mender!"

"Can he use stick arm?"

"No, but she say it make his arm better if he keep stick arm."

Tracker shook her head as she turned towards the tiny biters in the distance. If it wasn't for the fact that it would upset her friends she would have gladly snapped a few with her jaws. The fact that they had survived this long without outside help was astonishing to her.

 _Well, you gave my sister her confidence… perhaps you earned me skipping my snack._

As she departed to join the others she did not hear the conclusion of the conversation behind her.

"If Mender fix a bad arm, then maybe she fix other things. Pack needs to move."

"We talk to Flinter. He's the thinker; he will know what to do."

* * *

Brilliant yellow eyes gleamed in the mid-morning sun like beacons of light against the gloomy rocks around the stream. Against their merciless focus the water appeared to surrender like an outmatched opponent, its ripples and waves dissipating to reveal the hidden treasures within its shallow depths. That was when the predator saw what he was looking for.

The sickle claw moved before any other part of his body could react. As soon as the grey rocks were splattered with the entrails of his prey he knew that he had again met success.

"Five fish now… tsk tsk tsk, you are getting slow, son."

For a brief moment he felt satisfied. As if a great wrong in the universe had been resolved, and order and tranquility could again reign.

He realized the error of his judgment as soon as the fish collided with his head.

"That's three, Dad! Not bad for someone who only started after the rest of you."

Thud looked over at Dodger with a jocular tail-smile. "Maybe we should have kept Haven and Swift here. They were better conversation."

"Better at catching fish, too," Dodger said, "Well, at least better than your son." He gave Taunt's fish a dismissive glance.

"I know who I'm aiming the next fish for!" came Taunt's playful response as Tracker and Violet both shifted as if to make a clear path between the two dinosaurs. Tracker wore a smirk on her features, whereas Violet seemed more focused on protecting her face from a fishy assault.

 _Oh, son, I wonder if you know they are making a path so that Dodger can more easily reach you. I guess old loyalties die hard._ Despite the amusement of the situation, he could not overlook the severity of his pack's condition. One of their number was injured, and now they were forced to gather fish in shifts. While Swift, Ducky, and Leap ate it was the duty of the rest to ensure their own meals. Thud would stay behind in both shifts, however. A good pack leader never rested while any of his pack was hungry.

"Well," Thud interjected with a bit of a chuckle, "As we await that nonsense, how does Leap look this morning?"

"He'd be doing better if he'd stop getting up," Violet replied before grumbling to herself, "How many times do I have to tell him to rest and not hurt himself again?"

Thud examined the dinosaurs at his side carefully for a moment. Violet's demeanor indicated such truthfulness that not even a sniff was necessary to confirm its accuracy, while Tracker continued to focus on the prey beneath the depths. Taunt, on the other hand, looked more than a little surprised by his packmate's admission.

 _I don't think Violet is in the habit of hiding things from superiors, Taunt._

"So he is jumping at the hunt, is he?" Thud inquired with barely constrained amusement.

As he awaited an answer Thud watched Dodger's movements as he examined the stream carefully. _Always focused on the task right in front of him but missing the periphery._

"Got another one," Tracker called out. Dodger slumped a bit in defeat.

 _Interesting… it looks like Staza is our pack fisher._

"So there are no complications that you can see?" Thud interrupted his own thoughts as he focused on Violet. This conversation had already happened once between all of them, but now that Swift was not with them, and thus did not have to be protected from bad news, he expected a full report.

"Other than being stuck out here for a little bit, I can't think of anything to worry about unless he hurts himself again. Haven would probably know better, though," Violet said, sounding less than confident.

Thud nodded with satisfaction. "I just wanted to make sure that there was nothing that perhaps you didn't want to share in front of everyone. Like Leap getting up and moving around, for example. Don't worry, I think we'll keep that a secret from Haven."

The resulting smirk that was sent Violet's way rivaled that of his son in a playful mood. He wanted to show her that this was not an interrogation.

Thud watched as Violet ever so slightly looked away at the pack leader's promise to keep Leap's misbehavior from Ducky. He had no idea how to take this response.

He coughed. "But besides making sure Leap is doing better… there was another reason I called all of you to take a turn at fishing."

Violet now looked a bit concerned. Noticing this, Dodger gave Thud an irritated look.

 _Yeah, I get it, Verant. Don't drag this out._

"I have already told this to Haven, but I wanted to thank both of you for coming out and helping us during this time." Thud stepped forward and walked towards his son and Violet. "You could have waited for others to volunteer, but you made the risky journey out here in order to help family and pack. For that you have my sincere thanks."

He bowed slightly in an appreciative gesture, which he held for several seconds. It was only when he finished that he allowed himself to look up again.

Violet was more than a bit surprised at this, practically freezing. She had no idea how she was supposed to respond.

Taunt gave his counterpart a slight nudge as he proceeded to bow slightly. Violet followed his lead.

Thud smiled at the display. It was the meaning that mattered, not the preciseness of ceremony.

"You really did a good job, Mender," Dodger said, tail-smiling.

Violet couldn't help but respond with the same gesture, her demeanor much more confident than it had been responding to Thud.

Thud gave his son a knowing look as the two siblings shared their moment. He very well could have said more to his son, but in this case no words were necessary. The appreciation was clearly there both as an allied pack member and as family. And, for once, he would agree to Taunt's unspoken request to avoid the mushy stuff.

Violet suddenly looked towards a point in the distance, listening intently. A few moments later, she relaxed a bit. "And they're back..."

Deep concern appeared on the elder fastbiter's features, for a moment thinking that Purple Tail might have returned to seek revenge. But that was when the soft chatter of the tiny biters became audible to him. _Oh. Just those things._

Thud looked over at Dodger with a smirk on his features. "So, Verant, how are your followers doing? You and Leap aren't planning on leading a coup against me, are you? I don't know if I can kick that many tiny biters before my legs get tired," he added with a laugh.

" _My_ followers? I don't want to have anything to do with those walking lunches," Dodger replied.

Thud raised a claw to his ear for emphasis. "Well, it sounds like they want something to do with you and Leap. First, they grabbed no-pain leaves and now…"

That was when he saw it: several tiny biters darting through the grass, including one with something looking like a spear attached to its arm.

"You come back, Swerve!"

Thud closed his eyes in exasperation. "Please tell me no one taught the things how to make pointed sticks."

"No one did," Violet reassured Thud, "One of them broke his arm, so I fixed it."

"Why am I surprised?" Dodger wondered aloud, shaking his head.

Thud rubbed his eyes. _I don't blame you for your kindness, Mender, but I am sure the others could have fixed this in a more delicious manner._ "So it is trying to break it again?" he finally said with more than a little amusement in his voice.

"Staza, could you get them to stop?" Violet asked.

"With or without eating any of them?" Tracker asked, not entirely joking.

This seemed to have finally have an effect on the advancing tiny biters as they nearly stumbled over their own feet in the attempt to stop their forward momentum. Only Swerve continued to run forward in something akin to a panic.

"Going somewhere?" Tracker asked, cutting the tiny biter off.

Swerve nearly collided with the, from his perspective, massive giant that now stood in front of him. Despite this otherwise terrifying situation, the little biter hid behind Tracker's massive claws.

"They want to take Swerve's bone stick!"

Thud took a deep breath as he willed himself forward, ignoring the voice in his head that told him this was too stupid to warrant his time. _Ancestors give me strength._

"Which of you idiots is trying to mess up his arm _again_?" Violet shouted as she rushed over to the tiny biters.

One of the tiny biters unwisely tried to get away only to collide with Violet's leg. The other two simply cowered in fear.

"Please no kill them, Mendsy!" came a panicked voice as another tiny biter began to rush through the grass, "They want look at stick, not take stick!"

"And why would you want to do that?" Violet asked, barely keeping her temper in check at the tiny biters messing up her name yet again.

The tiny biter ran beside his two cowering comrades. "You not explain to Swerve?"

One of them shivered as it spoke in broken words, "We tell Swerve we need to see stick."

The other nodded. "He say 'no' so we tried to grab it!"

What followed next was something that would be stuck in Thud's mind for as long as he lived. In one swift movement the new tiny biter smacked the second speaker with such force that it knocked him over.

"That stupid! No do that again!"

Thud shook his head as he allowed Violet to handle this mess. _Now I have seen everything._

* * *

Flinter ignored the stinging in his hand as his counterpart now cowered on the ground instead of getting up. _It not hard to say all the words: 'Swerve, may we look at stick?' Now Mendsy mad at us!_

He looked up at the massive biter who had accomplished the impossible hours before. She had given one with a broken bone hope.

"Sorry, Mendsy. They not do what Flinter tell them."

"What did you tell them?" Violet asked pointedly.

Flinter gulped. It did not sound like Mendsy was happy. "Flinter tell them to tell Swerve that we want to look at stick. I not there when you make stick arm."

"Is there a reason you want to see it?" Violet asked, her voice slightly uncertain.

Flinter nodded with excitement. "If pack Thinker know how to fix arms then fewer of us can die."

"Oh, this should be good…" the gigantic orange fastbiter mocked from some distance away.

"Why didn't you just ask me?" Violet asked Flinter, "No one should be messing with Swerve's arm while its healing."

Flinter looked around nervously. "I try to ask Helper Leap, but Green Mean One tell us to go away or get eaten."

"You shouldn't be anywhere near Leap," Violet growled, "If you're not helping, you shouldn't be bothering him. You're lucky you _didn't_ get eaten."

Flinter bowed down as if a heavy weight was upon him. "We sorry. Green Me… Green One is helping Helper Leap?"

"Of course she is. She's a healer. Are you really that dumb?" Violet snapped, her patience having run out.

Flinter cowered fully as he laid down in front of the massive biter. "This Flinter's fault. Please let others go."

"No, Flinter! It mistake!" Swerve's voice protested from the other massive biter, but Flinter shook his head.

"Are your packmates smart enough to actually go anywhere without you?" Violet asked, her tone noticeably lighter.

Flinter allowed himself to rise, but he kept his head bowed. "Flinter is pack Thinker. Swerve might be Thinker when Flinter die."

Violet groaned in frustration. "Just keep your pack from doing stupid stuff," she finally said.

Flinter watched as the healer began to walk off. Despite his racing heart and the taste of adrenaline in his mouth, he knew that he had to ask the question that was on his mind.

"Let's go, Flinter! Mendsy spare us."

Flinter ignored Swerve as he rose to his full height, for what it was.

"You help Swerve, and you help Helper Leap. Great Mendsy, can you help pack?"

"Help you with what?" Violet asked as she turned back around, confused, "Did another of you get hurt?"

Flinter examined his own body just to make sure that Mender did not notice an injury that he did not. "No, but pack hurt. Pack not do good in this place. Too many bellydraggers. Not enough ground fuzzies."

He stepped forward, ignoring Swerve's cautionary grunt.

"Pack go here because old Thinker tell us to go here, but he dead. Breathing sickness get him and most of rest of pack. Now only we left. This place have little food but also little breathing sickness." He took in a deep breath. "Can you find us good place?"

"You'd have to ask someone with authority about finding a new place to live," Violet replied, "I'm just a healer, not a leader." She noticed Flinter's disappointed look. "However, I _can_ do something about the breathing sickness problem."

This made Flinter's head bolt upward with curiosity. He almost couldn't dare to hope that she was serious. Every tiny biter knew that if they got the breathing sickness then that was it.

"What was that plant called again?" Violet wondered aloud, "Whatever it's called, it's a red rot-plant. The pack needs to eat that for awhile. I'll have to ask Haven for the details, but it will cure everyone as long as you do that."

Flinter's legs began to shake at this news. Could it be true? "So… we go back to where food is without dying?"

Another voice squawked beside him. It was Red, the idiot who had threatened Swerve's stick. "We can become family pack!"

"A what?" Violet asked in confusion.

Though he paid them little heed in light of the miraculous information they had just been told by the great healer, Dodger and Thud both moved closer to the orange fastbiter as if to converse in private about the scene in front of them.

"We only mate when pack find place to be," Flinter explained. _This must be young big biter. She not even know about mating!_ "And then pack make nest for all pack mothers. We have no place to be, so we not mate yet."

"Ew." Violet didn't bother to hide her disgust at how the tiny biters handled nesting.

"Considering how dumb your friend over there is, you might want to leave him out," Tracker said, gesturing at Red.

"Um, girls… you know what they say about arguing with fools. They will beat you from experience."

Flinter looked up at the massive orange fastbiter that suddenly came into view. He didn't quite know what a 'fool' was, but with the biter's tail-smile it must have been some kind of compliment.

"I wasn't planning on arguing," Tracker said, glaring at the red tiny biter hungrily.

Flinter hesitantly looked at Violet, hoping that she would call off her fellow big biter. However, if this was the cost of the cure for the terrible sickness… then Red would be a necessary sacrifice. If Flinter was ready to sacrifice himself for the pack, then he was willing to sacrifice others for the same.

Red, meanwhile, did his best to hide behind Swerve's small body.

"Don't worry, Mender," Tracker said, "I'm not going to eat them. Yet."

"And they'll probably scatter and bother Leap and Swerve if you don't eat him," Violet said, "How about this. You don't eat any of them while we're all stuck here, and they don't bother Leap. If any of them do..." Tracker nodded in agreement.

Flinter nodded readily as Swerve smacked Red until he did so as well. "We understand, Mendsy! We not bother Helpers!"

"It's Mender," Violet nearly snapped before forcing herself to calm down, "And no messing with Swerve's arm."

Flinter nodded readily as he tried to repeat the name, "Understood, Mender! Come on, biters; let's tell pack that sickness fixed!"

It only took the tiny biters a few moments for the little balls of feathers and teeth to evacuate from the sight of the larger biters. So they never heard Taunt's parting words.

"You are so going to be remembered as Mendsy!"

* * *

Gleaming yellow orbs shined through the tall grass as the enveloping cloak of night covered the surroundings in its clouded hues. Beside the rhythmic sounds of snoring behind the vigilant watcher, the only sound greeting his ears was the gentle rustling of the grass around them. It finally seemed that the turmoil of the previous days would give way to a return to normal pack life.

"No touching the Rot Plant! Mendsy said so!"

 _And I would kill you for breaking that rule just to get some quiet around here,_ Dodger thought, regretting his choice to keep an eye on the tiny biters, _And get my sister's name right, you idiots._

As if to punctuate the order from the tiny biter, two of his counterparts rushed forward as if to protect the small mushroom. It was miniscule in size but easily dwarfed the tiny biters. The scene of several tiny biters making patrols around the small object would have been hilarious if it wasn't for the fact that to these small predators this mushroom was their potential salvation.

That was when Flinter walked into view of the other tiny biters, rubbing his head tiredly.

"What going on? Green One say she eat loud ones, so why are you loud?"

 _So that's how there are still tiny biters,_ Dodger thought, amused, _There's always at least one slightly less dumb than the rest._

"Buzzer say she have cough."

"Cough.. I do."

"You just eat too much, too quick."

"You lie!"

Dodger was about to leap over to the tiny biters in order to save Tracker the trouble, but that was when something happened that made him pause with surprise.

Flinter silenced the other biters with a single raise of his tiny clawed hand.

"The Great Mendsy give us this gift, and you reward her with being stupid? We use Rot Plant like Mendsy say, only when Coughing Sickness come, not just cough."

The tiny biter who had coughed promptly bowed her head in shame at the leader's rebuke. With a simple nod she turned and returned to the large pile of tiny biter bodies who were already submerged in the river of dreams.

 _That was relatively decently handled, especially since these guys seem to act like kids at the best of times,_ Dodger thought, glad to see that he would have to intervene in _every_ problem the tiny biters caused.

As if to punctuate his thought, Flinter turned towards the small 'guards' and gestured at his beak. "Keep it down. Mendsy and helpers nice, but not others."

 _Mender's not going to be too happy either if you keep getting her name wrong._ Dodger couldn't figure out how the tiny biters were having so much trouble getting his sister's name right.

The guards nodded as they resumed their vigil. For a moment it looked like Flinter, with the latest crisis averted, would return to the massive expanse of bodies in peaceful slumber.

But that was when his shimmering yellow eyes came across another pair of orbs through the tall tuft of grass.

 _Took you long enough,_ Dodger thought before standing up to reveal himself, _If I were hunting you, you'd be dead by now._

The tiny biter lowered himself to the ground, which was itself not much of a movement from the larger predator's perspective. It took Dodger a few moments to realize that Flinter was not trying to hide in a pathetic manner but rather was showing respect to a larger carnivore. The moment of pleased surprise at the tiny biter's use of etiquette was short-lived, however, as Flinter quickly ran in Dodger's direction.

"You want to see Flinter? Green One not mad, is she?"

"If she were, you'd be hearing crunching bones, possibly your own," Dodger replied bluntly, knowing how badly his mate wanted to eat one of the tiny biters, "Did you need something?"

Flinter cringed at the mention of crunching bones. "Please no mention bones! Green One already tell us too much about those in her story."

 _What is he talking about?_ Dodger wondered, _Did Staza tell them one of her stories?_

The tiny biter seemed to regain control over himself rather quickly. "Flinter just make sure that big biters not angry. Mends-" he struggled a bit when he saw the bigger biter glare, "Mendser help us too much to make her mad! We may become family pack now."

"You could have done that if you'd left this place a long time ago," Dodger reminded Flinter. _Or are you too stupid to figure that out? There's nothing to eat here that doesn't result in a high chance of being eaten yourself._

Flinter shook his head as he looked back over his pack, a small assemblage of bodies resting around a small bush.

"We get the breathing sickness… and then bigger pack take our territory. This only place to go, and too little food for tiny biters to go across Barren Place."

"It's called the Barrens," Dodger said, "And I have to ask, having never had a territory before and thus seen quite a few places, is this: why would you be so stupid as to enter an area you have no hope of crossing? The world is a pretty big place. You could have gone somewhere else. _Anywhere_ else."

Flinter sighed and sat down with a dejected expression plastered on his features. The scent of regret and shame radiated from the little biter.

"Flinter know that you think tiny biters stupid. We know you mad at tiny biters sometimes. But we do best we can." He turned towards Dodger's face, struggling to arch his neck at a sufficient angle before Dodger finally leaned down to make the task easier for him. "You never have territory before? So you run away from bad packs too?"

"Its kinda hard to have a territory when you're a kid, and there's only four of you," Dodger replied in explanation, "The important thing was that we didn't do anything as dumb as stay somewhere with no food. We always kept looking for some place better. Some place we could actually stay."

"There some food here," Flinter noted, "Enough for tiny biters. But there not enough to be happy, and it dangerous. But to go through Barrens might kill rest of us. We barely get through Big Grass Place. Old Thinker die there."

Flinter rubbed his beak. "Flinter grow up with pack. Flinter help pack. Flinter not want to hurt pack. But Flinter not know what to do for pack."

The next look that Flinter gave the fastbiter was almost mournful. "Do you understand Flinter?"

"I understand not knowing what to do," Dodger replied, knowing all too well the doubts that came from being responsible for others, "When a situation is bad, though..." He gestured at the area around them. "The worst thing you can do is nothing. If you make a good decision, things improve. If you make a bad decision, you learn from it so you can make better decisions."

Flinter was silent for a few moments as he processed the bigger biter's words.

"So Old Thinker leading us here was mistake… and me keeping pack here was mistake. But me leading pack through Barrens might be mistake. What does Flinter decide that is not mistake?" Flinter shrugged. "All paths lead to dead pack even with Rot Plant. Even bad place better than dead place."

"Why not just go back the way you came?" Dodger asked, "You could follow the river in either direction so you don't get lost. Your pack is going to _die_ here. If you leave, there's a chance it might survive. Staying put is not an option."

"And we try to fight other tiny biters for territory?" Flinter questioned, "Even with us few?"

"Why fight? Keep the pack moving until you find a place that is unclaimed or a pack that doesn't mind a neighbor." _That's what I was doing before I ran into Seeker's pack._ Dodger suppressed a growl of frustration.

Flinter nodded grimly as the scent from his small body shifted from anxiety to something approaching relief. Never mind how much he tried he could not understand the little biters' mindset, but he could understand the common struggle. The common struggle to survive in a world that seemed willing to kill you if you gave it a moment's chance. That didn't mean he didn't find Flinter very strange, though.

Dodger couldn't help but smirk as he watched Flinter. _Apparently he's finally gotten an idea._ Flinter's expression slowly shifted from calm to excited, his tail shifting into what Dodger supposed was tail-smile. _I almost want to know what he's thinking. I've finally lost my mind, haven't I?_

"If breathing sickness hurt us then it must hurt other packs… and dead packs have no territory..." Flinter noted as he rubbed his head, "Maybe that make opening for our pack!"

"Finally," Dodger sighed, "Things change all the time, Flinter. Packs move around. You might find an area that can't support a larger pack but could easily support you." _I'd offer to make such a place, but I'm not in charge anymore. Staza would be thrilled to be hunting tiny biters again, though. Maybe I really should ask Thud about it._

His thoughts were interrupted, however, by the sensation of something grabbing one of his claws.

"Thank you, Verant! Flinter tell others plan. Maybe we join bigger pack if they let us. We do have Mends-er's secret now."

As if to emphasize this point he gestured in the distance at the tiny mushroom as if it were the solution to all of the pack's problems. _Just how many of them died from that sickness, after all?_

But, as soon as the moment had come, it had gone. Flinter sprinted back towards his packmates and promptly settled in next to the snoring pile of bodies. Within moments he joined them in the peaceful realm of sleep stories.

 _Wish I could do that,_ Dodger thought, _I can sleep anywhere, but I've only ever seen Mender fall asleep_ that _fast._

That was when the sound of someone clearing his throat greeted his ears. Based upon its cadence and the familiar scent that followed, he quickly identified the culprit.

"None of them hurt themselves, did they?"

"Surprisingly, no," Dodger said, turning towards his sister, "What are you doing up? My watch isn't over yet."

Mender yawned as if to punctuate her brother's point. "Well, I heard some talking, and Flinter seemed excited so I figured that was not a good sign."

She looked out at the sleeping pile of bodies suspiciously, as if it were a ruse for some diabolical plot to make her life more complicated.

"He just realized that the sickness that his pack is so scared of doesn't just affect his pack," Dodger replied, "I don't think it should cause a problem. I hope."

Violet nodded and gave a relieved sigh as she sat down beside her brother. Though Dodger was no thought reader he did have a sniffer and a well-honed ability to read those whom he cared about. And Violet was in many ways the easiest to read. As such he preempted the obvious statement that his sister was currently too nervous to say.

"I missed you too."

Violet jerked slightly at having her thoughts be read so easily, though she quickly relaxed. She would have expected no less from her brother. Being careful to make sure no one else was looking, lest she embarrass her brother, she gave him a friendly nuzzle.

"You had me worried sick. Leap too… but mainly you."

"I've seen you literally worried sick. You looked fine to me," Dodger replied, "What were you worried about, exactly?"

Violet's beak quivered for a moment. "I… I was sure you were fine. But… there was always a chance…" She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. "The pack feared that you two were dead. Purple Tail almost made that a reality."

"And that's any different from that spiketail that almost got the both of us?" Violet rubbed her head at the memory. "Got you, actually. Or the time we ran into Calin's pack? Or that two-footer that wouldn't leave us alone? Or..?"

"This was different! Neither of you were there." Violet practically hissed, "What if it had been you instead of Leap? What if Haven couldn't have fixed the injury? We all know there wouldn't be much that I could do…"

"If you couldn't do anything about it, you'd move on. You'd learn more and continue to do your best," Dodger said, deliberately ignoring the disrespect his sister was showing him. _I guess it really hit her hard._ "Did you do the best you could for Leap?"

Violet nodded. "I did it as Haven showed me."

"If you did your best, nothing more can be asked of you. If you have done absolutely everything in your ability to succeed, whether fighting to defend your pack or fixing the results of that fight, you have nothing to be ashamed of if things don't go the way you hope." Dodger paused for a moment. "Do you consider me a failure?"

Violet's expression appeared to go blank at that suggestion as her eyes flickered in confusion. "What?"

"Am I a failure?" Dodger repeated, "Nothing I've tried to do for you has turned out the way I hoped. I failed to keep you with the rest of our siblings. I failed to realize I needed to teach you not to bully those smaller than you before that incident with Staza. I failed to teach you how to hunt, at least not the way I wanted to. Staza was the one that taught you how to fish. I failed to instill enough self-control in you so you wouldn't imitate me when we first met Seeker's pack. I ask again; do you consider me a failure?"

Violet almost appeared catatonic at this point, with every part of her body going rigid and her scent descending into confusion. In such a state she could only speak the truth. Despite the obvious internal struggle, the voice that came from the fastbiter was surprisingly calm.

"You're not a failure. You're the only reason I am still alive."

"And why is that?" Dodger asked, "Why do you think I'm not a failure?"

Violet did not break her gaze on her brother's face. "You… things got bad. A lot. But you were always there. You never gave up on me even when you could have."

"That's my point. Even when I had no clue what I was doing, I did the best I could to teach you what I could. Was it good enough? I don't think so. Our parents could have done much better, except maybe for the fishing. But I know I threw everything I had into teaching you what you needed to know, so I can live with that. There's no shame in failing except failing to try."

Dodger watched his sister carefully as the words began to register in her mind. Gone was the confusion that resided there before. In its place was a slowly growing cascade of acceptance. Unlike Flinter's struggle to understand, Dodger could tell this was different. His sister was not stupid; she was just unwilling to accept certain truths. But she was an adult now with a pack name. It was time for her to accept the hardest truth of them all.

The resulting nuzzle was not unexpected, but it was sudden.

"I thought I had failed with Swerve… after I put on the stick for his arm he didn't move," she sighed, "Tr-Staza and I talked about it. She said something similar. I guess I have to be told some things twice."

Violet broke from the embrace as she allowed herself a light chuckle. "Must be the head injuries."

"Nope. I've always had to tell you stuff more than once." Dodger allowed himself a smile.

"Must be why Ponder's lessons work. She always tells you the same thing twice," Violet joked before she examined the tiny biters in front of them once more.

 _Don't ever give up on yourself, sis,_ Dodger thought, _You've got so much to be proud of. I hope you know that._

Looking over at his sister, Dodger noticed his sister going from wide-eyed surprise to exasperation. He quickly turned to see what she was looking at. _You've got to be joking._

"Why does Red have sticks tied to his arms?" Violet asked the silence of the night as if it would provide an answer. "Did someone decide to practice on him?"

Her silent whispers were greeted by the not-so-distant snores of the tiny biters.

"That, or he broke both his arms. Want to ask him?" Despite his own question, Dodger wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Violet could only shake her head at the scene in front of her. Despite the two sticks crudely secured to his arms with what looked like blades of grass, Red appeared to be sleeping without a care in the world. It was a distinct dichotomy from her expression of unworthiness and fear from a few moments earlier.

"Well, I will deal with it in the morning… but I think it is time for second watch." Dodger was bemused by the slight nudge he then received. "And since you all are continuing the journey tomorrow I think you need your sleep."

"I'm not going to argue with you," Dodger said, "The tiny biters are exhausting."

This earned him a surprisingly jocular tail-smile from his sister, "You should try dealing with Taunt on the way here… but maddening as they are the tiny biters did help. Just make sure that they don't follow you."

"I don't mind if they follow me. Staza will be happy to make them leave," Dodger replied, hiding his surprise at his sister actually making a joke, "With a few packmates less than they started with, that is."

His sister snorted. "Good night, Brother."

"Goodnight, sis."

As the siblings parted and Violet began her role as part of the second watch, she did not notice the gaze of a certain tiny biter in the distance. Having struggled to sleep with his stick arm, serving as both a blessing and a curse, he couldn't help but have noticed the distant words emanating from Violet and her brother. As he looked upon Violet in the distance he had no doubt that this dinosaur had saved his life and, with the Rot Plant, possibly the lives of his entire pack.

 _Thank you, Great Mendsy. Pack will need to make song to you._

Neither the big biter or the tiny biter could forsee what that song would eventually bring.

* * *

 **Three months later** :

Euphoria.

In itself it was just a word, but the sensation it attempted to contain was something that defied verbal utterance. It was wind brushing against an open wing. It was the glorious scent of fresh air against one's nostrils. It was the ability to go anywhere with the gift of the flyers. Or, as Nunti was experiencing, it was the aftermath of finally succeeding during the Time of Mating.

Several tiny biters scattered as his talons grazed the ground in yet another celebratory feat of acrobatics. The resulting victorious screech was enough to make every dinosaur present in the field turn their heads in mild annoyance.

Nunti took to the air again as he allowed his momentum to finally subside against the welcoming embrace of the wind. As he turned into its transparent currents he finally looked upon the ground for a suitable landing site. As, despite his happiness in doing what nature demanded, his wings were now making demands on their own. Namely that he give them rest.

It wasn't until he practically collapsed against the ground that he realized how demanding his wings could be. It was also the first time he truly noticed the lingering pain in his back. _I guess that fight did more damage than I thought._

Nunti allowed himself to stretch out against the ground as a resounding pop registered in his ears. The resulting relief was a confirmation of both his hunch and his momentary idiocy. The hunch that he had taken a hit to the back, and the idiocy of doing celebratory acrobatics after a day of fights and more enjoyable activities.

 _Fiona would call me an idiot_. Nunti stretched his neck until it too popped. _Well, more so than she already did._

"Alto, quit running! Flyer might eat you!"

"Flyer not flying!"

"Don't be idiot! Flyer can get up!"

The flyer's eyes flickered at the sudden interruption to his thoughts. As his eyes focused on the miniscule raptor in the distance it stopped suddenly, its confusion turning into abject fear. All around him in the tall grass dwelled adult tiny biters, carefully gazing out at the sudden intruder.

That when when the child made a run for something unseen by the flyer, before disappearing into one of the numerous burrows. Several other children did the same, leaving only the adults to continue glaring at him. No doubt they were near their evacuation tunnels as well.

Nunti couldn't help but chuckle at the display. "Well, I guess it is time for tiny biters to mate too."

Turning his attention away from what he could only imagine made up a significant portion of the diet of Pterano's nephew. They were like land fish, if that were a thing. But, he reminded himself, it took as sorts. If the great Circle of Life had kept them alive then obviously they deserved to be under the Bright Circle's welcoming light.

 _Looks like I will need to rest for the night before heading back. If it stings tonight then it will be worse in the morning. Sigh… I can see why Pterano warned me about biting off more than I could digest. But she was so..._

"Gather, little ones! Swerve tell song!"

To say that this made the flyer pause would have been quite the understatement. Though he had never succumbed to the arrogance that often comes with the gift of flight, he did have the typical demeanor of a flyer. The focus on the wind and the open air, with the consideration of the ground-dwellers being limited to that of the companionship that comes from mutual co-existence. Though he talked with valley residents and generally knew their concerns, he had to admit that he knew little of the various creatures that roamed the ground, or worse yet, in the ground. To him their burrows were like a prison born of the ground itself, a reminder of where his bones would one day lay. And the sky was a reminder of the gift of life that he could still enjoy.

But as he was not going anywhere, perhaps he could listen in to the tale of these mysterious and strange creatures. It wasn't like he was going much of anywhere at the moment.

With more than a little curiosity, he placed his ear to the ground.

And promptly regretted his curiosity. The resulting cacophony of tones and words that assaulted his brain was something that took several moments to process. Much like the babble that a young flyer would speak before making proper sentences, the narrative conveyed made some sense but was obviously created by a lesser mind. Though he was always one to convey a good story he could only assume that this one would be used as a joke or a curiosity, but there was nothing here that was…

 **And Swerve's arm hurt and hurt,**

 **I fell on the dirt,**

 **But Mends-er come to save me,**

 **Give me stick arm,**

 **Now arm free!**

Nunti's eyes went wide. There were only two beings he knew of that had ever fixed a broken bone, and neither of them were named Mends-er. Did those two do some of their 'research' under different names? Something was not quite right here… Soon another voice cut in.

 **And now rot plant arrive,**

 **Keep all tiny biters alive,**

 **Mendser protect us from breathing sickness,**

 **As we all be witness**

"Healing plants… another dinosaur has healing plants." Nunti let the reality of those words register in his mind. He could only hope that this was the handiwork of the valley's allies as he had no idea what a threat could do with such knowledge. And he was certain that Mendsy couldn't have been one of these tiny things. Was she a kind-hearted leaf-eater? A sharptooth? A flyer? He had to have more information.

A healer in the Mysterious Beyond could save so many younglings. And the rainbowfaces were only two dinosaurs, and the valley's swimmers only so able to apply their knowledge. And with the number of ill dinosaurs who know went into the valley for refuge…

Perhaps it was time for him to take the initiative. With his aching back he wasn't going back to the valley anytime soon anyway.

 _Time to take a lesson from Petrie I do believe._

One of the tiny biter guards near the burrows had no time to react before he was suddenly lifted off of the ground and placed firmly on a tree branch. His only companion was his mode of conveyance... the flyer who was now towering over him.

"What can you tell me about this Mendsey?"

* * *

 **Thanks for the reviews, everyone! (:  
**

 **bryan mccloud** : Indeed the Seven Hunters seem to be able to come up with the right plans or innovations just in the nick of time. Though with the intrigues that are at play it will soon be difficult for each side to tell who is friend and who is foe. And, as we often see in real life, an untrue narrative if believed by enough people can lead to real changes in alliances and events.

 **gordhanx** : Thank you for the detailed review, and my apologies for not getting to this chapter until now. Wrok and Greenshade are indeed beginning to show other aspects of their respective characters in the previous chapters. Neither is overtly malicious from the standpoint of their followers, and they do have some motivations, justified in their minds, for the actions that they are taking. Though, as it common in life, their antagonism against their adversary has plunged the region into conflict and chaos. With Penol, Ignis, and Dravos each having their own motivations and interests, with both overlap and conflicts, it will be interesting to see in the future how the situation develops.

 **Keijo6** : I am glad that you enjoyed the interplay between the hidden runners in the previous chapter. It is a delicate balance to keep the hidden runner angle and the pack's own challenges coherent in a sprawling narrative with over 6 factions (Ignis, Wrok's pack, Questor's pack, the valley, Seeker's pack, and Verant's group) and the incorporation of the roleplay content into the mix add to the difficulties involved. I can only hope that dedicating one chapter to the past story (and saving the rest of Mender's rise to becoming a wide-known name for another chapter) helps to keep things more manageable for the reader. In any event we will move back into the present in the next chapter and into the complex web of lies and conflict that the hidden runners and the packs now find themselves in. As always, I look forward to your review and thoughts for the latest chapter. (:


	29. Chapter 24: Arrivals

**-v-**

 **Chapter 24: Arrivals**

" _ **Be wary of using the adage 'it is always good to be home again' or 'it is good to be home' when in the presence of an Atani. They only go home to mate and die."**_

 _ **Excerpt from 'Avoiding Diplomatic Misunderstandings in Consortium Core Worlds'**_

* * *

 **The present, Seeker's territory:**

Pounce was nearly beside himself with anticipation as Leap repeated the fading words of the song's chorus. Now that the flyer had figured out there was a healer in the area, he had no doubt that the climax of the story would soon be at hand. He subconsciously leaned forward to listen closely to what Leap would say next.

He saw his sister's tail only a moment before it collided with his knees. His face met the ground a second later.

"Sis!"

Gyors stifled a laugh. Back home, a stunt like that would've likely started a scuffle.

As if to prove his point, Pounce turned around with a mischievous glint in his eyes and a telling twitch of his tail. He had his annoying sister squarely in his sight.

Until Leap's foot interrupted his view.

"And that concludes the song, children! That is how Mender became a well-known name in the Mysterious Beyond."

Gyors watched for a moment as Pounce's face contorted into an amusing cascade of emotions. First righteous fury at his sister, then disappointment at his attack being impeded, and then sudden shock at Leap's words. The battle was forgotten as quickly as it had begun.

"What do you mean that is the song?" Ambush protested, saving her brother the trouble.

"Yeah, who did Nunti tell?" Pounce added as he turned to face the adult fastbiter.

Leap's eyes twinkled a bit as his tail twisted into a smile. "Well… if you all want to find out then I guess you little ones will just have to stick around for tomorrow's song then, won't you?"

"Of course we will," Ungu said, looking meaningfully at her brother.

Gyors blinked with his good eye as he met his sister's gaze. "Yeah…"

Biter, meanwhile, tilted his head in a jocular manner. "You're doing this to keep us from going adventuring, aren't you?"

Leap could only roll his eyes and sigh at the question from the pack leader's son before he quipped back. "And will it work?"

The little assembly of little fastbiters and sharptooth flyers all looked at one another as if they were debating the matter silently. As they did this Leap could only imagine the 'legendary' Great Valley meetings that his packmates had so often satirized in their songs.

Suddenly Biter rose with purpose as he proceeded to step forward. This only lasted for a few moments, however, before he groaned and sat down.

That's when Nibble stood up.

"We will not go adventuring... If we can hear a bit more of the next song before dinner."

Leap stared at the little ball of fluff with an amused smile. "So you beat Biter in the latest spar for top little biter, hmm?" Biter's tail twitched in annoyance as Leap considered the matter. "Well… alright… perhaps a few more verses before dinner…"

The roar of satisfied chirps and screeches from the younglings was almost deafening as Leap sat back down, a laugh escaping his mouth.

"Alright, so where was I…"

 **Screech!**

Ungu looked towards the direction of the call with concern. With everything that had happened lately, she was almost expecting bad news.

Leap, however, saw Petrie sink once after he made the call before doing a controlled spin. The group was accounted for. The group was here.

He turned towards the children, his focus on the two guests in the group. "It looks like your parents have arrived, little ones. Should we see if they need any help?"

The stampede of little bodies that ran around him and proceeded to sail over his head was answer enough. The refugees had arrived.

* * *

"Urgh… my ears…"

Staza could feel the commotion on her back as the weight suddenly lightened before returning to the usual sensation of five children resting on their assigned places. It was only then that she felt one of their number, Lula, based upon where she was situated, walk closer to the front of her back. That was when her voice confirmed her identity.

"Mommy, why did Spotter screech?"

"He's letting everyone know we're here," Staza explained, "That way nobody panics when they see us."

"Like what happened to you, Daddy, and Aunt Mender back when you were in the same pack?" Sana's voice asked.

"Somebody has been paying attention to their songs," Mender half-teased as she nodded at the children assembled on her friend's back before turning towards one of the hidden runners, "Okay, Althos, put the stick away. We are in safe territory now, and we don't want any misunderstandings."

Staza watched as the hidden runner hesitantly aimed the sharpened stick towards the ground. After such a desperate journey to do such a thing almost felt like an invitation for trouble.

"Is everyone alright back there?"

Staza turned towards where the new voice came from as Orchid appeared in view. To no one's surprise his main focus was on the few younglings that had survived their pack's decimation. The careful glance that he gave the other fastrunner in the group was not lost on her. He wanted to make sure that he was as far away from Ovie and her eggs as possible. She could only assume Verant's stern gaze had seen to that.

"Well, we made it," Staza said, sighing in relief.

Verant sighed before allowing himself to relax slightly. "A lot of us didn't."

Staza nuzzled her mate, gladly leaning in when he returned it. Unfortunately, her children decided they wanted a change of scenery. _Here we go again,_ she thought as she felt more than saw Sana leap for his father's back.

The male snorted in amusement as he felt some of the little ones misjudge the jump and nearly fall to the ground below. But the fact that he could only feel three bodies on his back and see two of his beloved children on his mate's back made the reality of the situation hit hard.

Gyors and Ungu were not here. And Gyors had been grievously injured.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

Verant nearly bowled over as Ungu's voice interrupted whatever guilty thoughts threatened to drag him down. As soon as Ungu's violet form appeared through the grass, however, both parents became aware that they had lost their previous cargo. The children were not going to wait for the 'okay' before they greeted their brother and sister.

Ungu nearly had to jump to avoid being tackled by the excited siblings.

Staza smiled at the sight before realizing someone was missing. "Ungu, where's Gyors?" she asked calmly, refusing to let herself sound worried.

Ungu's head finally appeared between the assemblage of scaled bodies around her. Her expression, much to Staza and Verant's relief, did not radiate fear or grief. Rather, it radiated confusion.

"He was with me a moment ago…"

It was then that Staza noticed Mender at her side. Her scent clearly indicated concern, a scent that she had grown used to smelling back when they were packmates.

"Where could..." Staza began.

But Mender then interrupted, "Gyors, is that you behind there?"

"Hi," Gyors said, barely peeking out from behind a tree, acting uncharacteristically shy.

Mender turned ever so slightly as she shared a knowing look with Staza. They had seen this kind of behavior before when a certain other biter blamed herself for injuries. As Gyors' siblings mobbed him and the sound of more fastbiter feet could be heard in the distance, Staza knew that she would have to give someone a talk quite soon.

She knew all too well that it made no sense to blame yourself for the actions of others.

That was when a loud yelp was heard. It was an alert call.

Ducky and Spike both stepped forward in front of the group before giving a yelp of their own. It was only then that their packmates appeared through the tall grass. The required formalities had been attended to.

Littlefoot was the first to step forward, his gaze firmly focused on Staza and Verant. "My friends, it has been a long time since we have met in person. I only wish that this meeting were under better circumstances." He then allowed his gaze to shift to the hidden runners and fastrunner in the distance. "You all have our deepest condolences. Rest assured we will do all that we can to make sure you overcome this terrible tragedy."

The hidden runners, still haunted by their ordeal and weak from their journey, appeared to consider the new fastbiter in welcome silence. As if to express the thoughts of their ragged band, Althos nodded his head at the fastbiter before laying his stick on the ground. The gesture spoke for itself. _We are at your mercy._

It was then that Verant stepped forward and nodded respectfully at the pack leader. "You have already helped us more than we could repay." His gaze shifted to his two wayward children amongst the now expansive mob of fastbiter children. Only Gyors and Ungu accepted being surrounded by the others, as the other five kept to a grouping of their own. "Forgive me, but may I..."

Littlefoot quickly nodded and waved him off, being just as glad to forego the formalities and just as understanding of the desire to check on one's beloved children. "Pack, let us see what we can do to help!"

That was all the invitation the others needed as the pack intermingled with the survivors, quickly following the suggestions of the two packmates who had joined in the rescue mission. But as Ducky, Spike, and even Orchid were put on the spot by the pack, Staza and her mate had a decidedly different focus. It was one that any parent would understand.

"Are you feeling alright?" Staza asked, making a point to get a good look at her son's injury. _Other than the obvious problem that his eye is gone, it looks like everything has been healing alright. Mender really lived up to her name this time._

Gyors appeared to flinch under his mother's scrutiny as he answered in a meek voice, "I'm okay…"

This made Ungu grow concerned as she ran over. "Do you need a new pain leaf? We could have Swipe get one; she is fast!"

Gyors' eyes went wide. "No!" he practically squeaked before regaining his composure, "I'm fine!"

After this exclamation, however, he was now surrounded on both sides by concerned faces as both the pack's children and his own siblings inspected him on either side with his parents examining him from the front. His attempt to put on a strong front had backfired.

"Don't worry; he's fine. He just doesn't like the leaves because they make him tired," Mender said reassuringly.

Verant appeared to consider this information as he tilted his head and laid a reassuring hand on the back of his son's head. "There is nothing wrong with admitting you are in pain, son. Do you need one of those leaves?"

 _Glad Verant said that. Gyors wouldn't believe it coming from me,_ Staza thought.

Gyors sighed before he reluctantly spoke. "I am fine for now… but I might need one soon."

Mender quickly procured a leaf from a collection that was secured to her arm by a vine. In an action that was as cute as it was disarming of Gyors' attempt of showing strength she wrapped a leaf around one of his little claws.

"Aunt Mender!"

The purple fastbiter could only smirk at his indignation. "That is my name."

"Mendsy!" came a distant shout.

"Shut up, Taunt," Mender said under her breath as she rolled her eyes. Much to her patient's relief, however, the children were now preoccupied by laughter and not showing pity at their injured comrade. It was something that Staza noticed immediately.

 _Just like his father._

Staza frowned for a moment. How could they deal with this without hurting her son's pride?

It was only when she directed Gyors onto his father's back that she realized that she had an idea. "Gyors, how about we check on your hidden runner friends? I'm sure they would like to see that you are okay," she then changed tone ever so slightly, "And I am sure the pack's children would love to get to know all of you as well." In Staza-speak that was not a request.

Gyors' siblings froze as they looked at the other fastbiter children. They had been quite open to befriending the hidden runner children and had even rushed to spy on Petrie, but that was before the attack. But if their mother said they were okay…

The two little groups of younglings began to sniff one another in the fastbiter manner, both greeting and interrogating each other through the scent that transcended all others. Only Ungu appeared to not join in the festivities, deciding to watch her brother closely. It was only when Gyors gave a somewhat polite, yet also somewhat arrogant, dismissing nod that Ungu laughed and turned back towards the others.

"Okay, everyone, here are some of my new friends. This is Biter… but don't worry he doesn't bite much… and this is Pounce…"

Within a few moments bother parents were alone with their injured son as they slowly made the journey towards the hidden runners.

It was then that the little biter was nuzzled by both parents.

"Mom! Dad!"

"Whining can't save you now!" Verant teased as Staza gave her son one final nudge before turning her gaze forward towards her destination.

"So now that none of your brothers and sisters can see you…" Staza spoke softly, "How are you really feeling, son?"

Gyors sighed. "I'm fine, Mom. I mean, it hurts. And I can't see anything on that side… and Ungu will not let me have any fun in the spars. But I'm alive."

"Being alive is a rather low boulder to jump over, son," Verant noted.

It was then that the facade finally broke, if ever so slightly. "Dad…"

Staza stopped for a moment as Verant leaned to nuzzle both of them in the predatory version of a group embrace. It was only then that Staza felt the slightest bit of moisture against her back. _My poor, poor Gyors…_

"I missed you," Gyors finally admitted, "Mender helped me, but it hurt so bad…"

"Is it hurting badly now?" Staza asked, indicating the leaf Gyors still had with him.

Gyors nodded slightly. "I wanted to sit through all of Leap's story, because it was so good… and then you all came. I just hate how it makes me feel."

Staza cocked her head as she continued to move forward. "Is it worse than hurting?"

Gyors hesitated. "Well, no…"

It was then that Verant tapped his son's claw to remind him that the no pain leaf was still secured to him. "Son, there is nothing wrong with admitting you are hurt. That is how we get help from others."

"But you never ask for help," Gyors protested.

Staza turned her head to give Verant a knowing look.

Verant sighed. "Sometimes, son, I might be more stubborn than I need to be. That doesn't mean that you have to be like that. _Especially_ not while you are young."

He tapped the no pain leaf again. "Sometimes it is stronger to admit that you need help."

Staza watched her son for the next several moments as he looked at the leaf contemplatively. Hesitantly, and with distinct slowness, he carefully removed the leaf from his claw. Then, with a preemptive grimace, he threw the pungent plant into his mouth, nearly retching at the taste for several moments. When he finally sent the nasty concoction of medicine and saliva towards his gizzard it was a merciful end to the part of the process that he had to actually taste.

The fatigue, waking sleep stories, and stupor would come later.

Both parents nuzzled him again. This time he did not protest.

* * *

Petrie watched the display in the distance in solemn silence. Though the reunion was a reminder of hopeful possibilities, it was also a hint of what could be lost.

So much had been lost already.

The sound of booming footsteps let him know that he had company well before the massive sharptooth's shadow appeared like the Night Circle eclipsing the Bright Circle.

"It is only a matter of time before the battle comes to us."

Petrie narrowed his eyes at Chomper's words. "It already have."

There was no answer for a moment as Petrie allowed himself to get lost in the scene playing before him. But as the ground shook and the shadow shifted, he realized that his friend had settled in to a lounging recline against the ground.

Chomper's breath came out in a gruff exhalation. "You know what I mean. Those who did this will know that we will respond in some way. And the best defense is a good offense."

Petrie turned his head to look into the fearsome red orbs that his friend had for eyes, "Do you think Wrok stupid enough to attack us directly?"

Chomper did not blink. "Not until he has us where he wants us."

This finally made the flyer groan as he wrapped his wing around his head for a moment in annoyance. He did not just go through several days of acting as a go-between, calling in favors all across the Mysterious Beyond, and use every ally at his disposal to enhance the pack's defenses just to have Chomper of all people speak in what he often called 'mystery talk'.

"No offense, Path, but could you get to the point?"

He was merely greeted by a snort by the massive predator, but he quickly obliged. "When we hunt what is the first thing that we do?"

Petrie did not hesitate as he rattled off the catechism that he had his own children memorize, "First, find and identify prey. Second, find and identify escape routes. Third, lead the prey to where there is no escape. Fourth, kill."

Chomper nodded. "I hope that we can stop Wrok before he gets to step three."

The flyer blinked as the currents in his mind began to coalesce in a steady stream, like a thermal appearing in the morning breeze. There had been the attack by Questor's pack, which carrion flyers had informed him involved Wrok in some way. There had been the chronic harassment attacks on the refugees even after the left the claimed territory. And then there was the discovery of a conspirator of Wrok's in the valley… where more obviously remained unseen. What was Wrok's endgame? Was it limited to disrupting Ignis's alliances so that he could make a move on the ultimate prize… or something more extensive?

Both predators watched the rest of the pack as the hidden runner refugees began to hungrily rip into the pack's latest hunt. The two-day old corpse of a fallen spiketail. A spiketail that still bore the wounds of spear strikes in all directions. In the end he could not defend against what he could not see. A situation that now seemed to hit close to home.

Petrie frowned. _Me never did like being the prey._

* * *

 **The valley:**

The dark expanse of the cavern extended in all directions, as the slightest tendrils of light from cracks in the rock wall gave the scene the only source of light. The slightest hint of movement appeared against one of the numerous stalactites on the cave's ceiling. That was the only hint that another flyer was eavesdropping on the private meeting between the domehead and Wrok's flyer emissary. It was an action of stealth that even Petrie would have applauded.

But at this moment Cloud was not thinking about his brother. He was more concerned about staying alive and remaining unseen.

Cloud kept himself hidden, or at least the best that he could. _This would be so much easier in the trees,_ he thought. The same darkness that was keeping him hidden was making it hard to navigate. _If I'm not careful I'll fly right into them if I don't fly into a wall first._

"I think we have gone far enough. No one will hear us here."

The domehead's voice broke through the silence of the cave like a rock falling into a stream. A voice that was as undisciplined as it was distinct. The clicking of a beak was a very clear hint of what kind of response he would receive.

"Oh? Is that so? My speaker, and _your ally_ , is not inclined to follow your wisdom. Your wisdom has left him a beak short with nothing to show for it."

Able to hear reasonably well, Cloud landed and kept still rather than risk his movement being heard.

"What do you mean?" the domehead's voice practically squeaked at the flyer's tone.

The tone in question did not soften. "Hano should be delivering this message, but he did not return. My leader's first question is: where is he?"

 _Apparently he's in more than one place now,_ Cloud thought grimly, _Now we know for sure we got the traitor._

There was silence for a moment as the domehead, still unseen in the darkness, searched for the right words.

"How would I know that? Domeheads cannot fly."

"Yes… yes… but they can lie, can they not?" Cloud could imagine the other flyer leaning in as he posed this question.

There was an exasperated snort. "Would we risk the well-being of our herd to help you just to spread lies? You have no idea what we are risking to end this horrid alliance!"

The flyer was unimpressed. "You risk much… assuming that your two herds are not playing a double game."

 _Two herds?_ Cloud thought, _I guess the domeheads are one herd, but who's the other one? Is it the entire herd or just part of it?_

The domehead's eyes went wide for a moment before settling into a barely concealed sneer, " _My_ herd risks much. The horn-faces will need convincing, as you already know, you insufferable beak-face!"

The flyer's glare somehow shined through the darkness of the cavern, "And I take it that our friend among them still lacks the nerve to take care of our little problem?"

 _So they've got a friend among the threehorns. We've got to figure out who that._ The more Cloud heard, the less he liked what he was hearing.

The domehead's next words were muttered in a barely audible protest. "Topps is many things, but he is not a _little_ problem. He will be taken care of soon."

 _This could be a problem,_ Cloud thought, _I guess we'll need to have some flyers watching Topps for awhile._

The flyer nodded. "See to it that is the case. Or perhaps information of this… chat could find its way to interested ears."

"You wouldn't dare!" All pretenses of putting on a calm facade for Wrok's messenger was gone as flyer's words gripped his throat like an invisible claw striking in the night. "We are in this together!"

The flyer shrugged. "Are we? In any case, we all knew from the beginning this was a mating of convenience. If Wrok cannot knock the valley out of this by turning them against the alliance then… well…" He began to inspect his talons. "Turning the valley on itself would be an acceptable outcome."

The domehead spit on the ground. "My leader was an idiot for agreeing to this! You insolent…"

"He was," the flyer agreed, cutting off the domehead with a wave of his wing, "but now you have no choice but to play along, don't you?"

Cloud shook his head at the scene before him. _It sounds like it shouldn't be too hard to convince those working with Wrok to stop working with him if we get figure out who the leaders are. Apparently Wrok doesn't believe in making friends. Either that, or this guy isn't very good at his job._

The domehead stared at the flyer for several long moments before looking down in defeat. He knew that the herd had little choice at this point.

"What are Wrok's orders?"

Cloud turned his head in order to take in every word.

"A plan is already is in motion as we speak. When the time comes, and you will now when it does, do your best to convince the valley to strike back."

Cloud's eyes went wide. _What?"_

"What?" the domehead echoed in an uncomprehending deadpan, "Your brilliant leader's plan to keep us out of the battle is to bring us into the battle?"

The flyer shrugged. "The fact that you do not understand his plan is of no concern of him. His concern is that you do your job."

The domehead practically roared, "We didn't agree to this to be your lackey, flyer! We did this to be free of this unnatural, disgusting arrangement! How does this do that?"

"How will the alliance with Ignis fare once the valley rampages against them?" the flyer muttered in a low voice.

"It would be dead!" the domehead growled.

"Exactly," the flyer affirmed as if that explained everything, "So everything will be as it should be. What happens once the hidden runners and valley are no longer allies, well… my leader is willing to let Fate decide."

 _If that isn't incredibly vague, I don't know what is,_ Cloud thought, _We could end up with bigger problems in the future than we already have now._

"I trust that my message will be relayed?" the flyer finally asked, "I have more messages to deliver, you know."

"It will be delivered," the domehead said in a light whisper.

The flyer nodded. "Good."

And then without a further word, or even the slightest hint of a warning, the flyer jumped down from the top of the cavern and opened his wings, allowing his momentum to bring him into a steep glide. Within mere moments his body disappeared through the opening of the cave and into the welcoming embrace of the star-filled night.

The domehead shook his head as he slowly walked out the cavern. "I hope that you know what you are doing, Nepha. Our herd depends on it."

It was only when the domehead disappeared as well that Cloud let go of a breath that he had no idea he was holding in.

 _So now what do we do? We can't just confront the domeheads. At best we might get their messenger, but we'd lose any ability to surprise the other conspirators. Ugh. Glad I'm not one of the leaders. Spying like this is hard as it is._

As he flew away he felt as if a massive weight had been placed upon his wings. A weight that would soon be handed off to his superiors. But would that weight eventually drag them all down?

* * *

 **Seeker's territory:**

"So Arial and I finally compromised. I can add a few snares to stop belly-sliders, but they cannot be high enough that the little ones will get caught."

Orchid watched the demonstration with a modest amount of interest as Nahoda waved his tail in such a manner as to pretend to be a snake. On cue the vine wrapped around its target, tightening quickly until it was inescapable.

"So this is what we will do if a tree-climber belly-slider goes after the eggs. Sometimes you can't see them so…"

Orchid tried to follow along as his sister's mate went on about the strategy involved and how to properly make a snare. Undoubtedly it all was something that could be blamed on the rainbowfaces somehow. But that was when his eyes caught something else.

The older female could barely be seen in the distance, gently swaying over her eggs as she tried to give them just enough heat, but not too much. Against the distant trees she appeared to be as insignificant as an insect, but her beautiful pink feathers made her stand out. If she didn't have eggs then him and her could have been friends…

"Do you want to try it?"

Orchid nearly jumped as Nahoda presented him with a twisted vine. Despite the obviousness of his distraction, he kept up the appearance of someone interested in the conversation.

"Uh… sure. Could you show me how to make this again?"

But his lapse had not escaped the notice of another observer.

* * *

 _Orchid, could you be any more obvious?_ Mender thought.

"Well, it is that season…" Staza muttered as she stopped the conversation mid-sentence and looked over her shoulder briefly before turning back to Mender with the slightest of tail-smiles, "Verant didn't see it so you probably don't need to hide Orchid."

Gyors stirred slightly on her mother's back. "Daddy's good hunter…" but as soon as the word 'hunter' left his beak, he was already back to sleep.

Staza continued to bob her back in a rocking fashion as her son continued to slumber. It was then that she looked at the fastrunner in the distance once more. "At least I still have all of my children… we came so close." The voice was barely a whisper.

"And now everyone's safe. Well, safe as we can be, anyway," Mender replied, "No sense worrying about what could have happened."

Mender tried to pretend that she didn't notice when Staza gave her a knowing look and a curious head-tilt. "I'm more worried about what _can_ still happen. This isn't over."

"We'll figure something out," Mender said, "At worst, there's still plenty of Mysterious Beyond out there."

"To the dung pile with that; if anyone wants our territory, then they can take it from my cold dead claws."

Cera needed no introduction as she walked onto the scene, her eyes quickly scanning the horizon. Her eyes quickly focused on the two fastrunner nests. "We can move, but some of us may not have that opportunity soon."

"Oh, great..." Mender muttered. _I wonder... can you make a nest for hatchlings that you can move? What am I thinking? How would you even begin to do that?_

It was then that Orchid looked up once more at a certain someone in the distance, before hastily looking away.

 _Orchid, what are you doing? Did your parents not teach you about dealing with females?_

"Anyway, I wanted to let you two know that Seeker is ready for a meeting whenever you are," Cera finally clarified as she followed Mender's gaze, "But there is no rush. Right now Verant is being shown around."

"Examining all possible threats?" Staza muttered with a smirk.

Cera shrugged with amusement. "You know your mate."

"Could you excuse me for a moment?" Mender asked, "There's someone I need to talk to."

Staza and Cera both shared a look before Cera decided to take a page from her mate and mock the situation. "Should we have Cynnil and Buse give him a look over once you're done with him?"

"What?" Mender asked, holding back a laugh, "It's not like I'm talking to the rainbowfaces. I'm only going to talk to him, not eat him."

As Mender proceeded to walk towards the oblivious fastrunner she thought she heard the two other females share a question at her expense.

"Just how close did she get to getting Chronos, anyway?"

The soft banter of her former packmates quickly dissipated however as she quietly, but swiftly, walked through the tall grass that surrounded Nahoda and Arial's future nesting site. The only thing sparing Nahoda and Orchid from a terrifying surprise was the fact that she was upwind.

"Hi, Orchid," Mender said as she walked up to him.

But that did not stop him from looking like a chastised youngling as she grew closer. "Uh, hello, Mender."

Nahoda, on the other hand, did not catch the undertone of the conversation. "Hello, Mender. I was just showing Orchid how we can catch belly-sliders if they go after the nest."

"Interesting," Mender said, glancing at Nahoda's work, "You don't mind if I borrow Orchid for a moment, do you?"

Nahoda shook his head as he gave Orchid a parting nod. Orchid, for his part, hesitated at the summons. But it was not because he was enthralled with Nahoda's discussion on snares.

He could smell when Mender was not pleased about something.

Mender led Orchid a ways away, far enough that no one could overhear what they were saying. To make sure this was the case she kept listening intently for any of the fastbiter younglings that might be playing or hiding nearby.

Orchid, for his part, tried to keep silent but in the end his nerves got the better of him. "I am staying away from her."

"Oh, really?" Mender replied skeptically. _I'll give you one chance to tell the truth, Orchid._

Mender could practically hear the fastrunner's heartbeat at this distance, as his breaths became more stressed under her scrutiny. But it was in his eyes that she saw the most telling sign. His eyes refused to full meet hers.

"I…" he began but then stopped. It was only once he took a breath that he resumed again. "I was an idiot, but I know not to get near her. Not while I am a threat to what she holds dear."

"Yet you went to see her late at night while everyone else was either asleep or watching the borders. I'd call that getting close," Mender replied, somewhat angry, "Don't you dare deny it. I _saw_ you."

The fastrunner swallowed hard under the fastbiter's harsh glare. It was only after a few tense seconds that the fastrunner was able to open his beak and speak in a soft voice.

"I… I wanted to make sure she was okay. Something told me that she needed help. There were no other fastrunners in our group so I…" his words began to go faster, "...but it was a mistake. When I saw her eggs… I knew that I had to stay away. She has to stay safe."

The fastrunner was practically quivering now. To Mender's eyes he appeared more like Nahoda when he was about to face her killing blow in that moment than the new packmate she had come to know over the last several days.

"Orchid, do you know what Ovie meant by what she said to you?" Mender asked, hoping to shift Orchid's line of thought.

Orchid's face was blank for several moments. In the tense silence she could again hear the words that were exchanged on that night.

 _"I'm sorry for upsetting you," Orchid continued as he took a step back and gave the slightest hint of a bow in the hidden runner style. It was given just as awkwardly as he had learned the gesture a mere few weeks before. "Sometimes I can be such an idiot. This was a mistake."_

 _Well, that bow was a mistake. I'm not letting you near another hidden runner pack until we get that right, Mender thought, cringing at what she was able to glimpse. She could only imagine what Ovie had seen._

 _"I was the one who called you over."_

 _Interesting…_

 _Orchid did not turn around, but raised his beak in acknowledgement. "I know. But not all dangers you can see. And here I am, not knowing what I am doing, sending myself into other people's business."_

 _He turned around to look in the direction of her nest, his expression unseen from Violet's vantage point. When the words left his mouth they almost sounded like they had come out of another dinosaur completely._

 _"Please do not think ill of me, but I will not approach you again until your children are safe from danger, and from me."_

 _The female stared for a long moment, before walking backwards towards her nest. Her beak was in a stern frown, but her eyes lacked any coldness. "And on that day you will be welcome at my nest, Orchid. Farewell."_

 _Orchid, merely taking this as a polite dismissal and nothing more, nodded and walked away without another word. Within moments the only thing that could be heard was the soft humming of a tune by the female fastrunner as she drifted off to sleep._

 _Orchid... Mender wanted to slam her head into a tree. We're going to need to talk. Your parents apparently didn't cover this._

When Orchid finally did mutter a response, Mender could not tell if seconds had gone by or minutes. "Uh… she said I was welcome when the kids were old enough. So I guess she was being nice and saying I could be a friend."

"Orchid..." Mender groaned in frustration, even though she knew this was coming.

Orchid, for his part, tilted his head in confusion.

"Orchid, did your parents teach you anything about the buzzers and the flyers?" _And would someone please explain to_ me _where that expression came from?_ Mender thought.

If Orchid had appeared afraid before, now he appeared outright embarrassed. Never before had she seen a fastrunner appear to shrink into the tall grass. "They, uh, told me that instincts would tell me what to do."

"That's a small part of it, and it would be fine if you met someone in a Cold Time and got to know her, but that's not going to help with talking to one, especially not during a Time of Mating," Mender said, trying to not let her frustration show too much.

Orchid rubbed his head crest awkwardly. "Well… I know the story about how Mom and Dad met, so I just assumed it would be like that."

"I'm not entirely sure what that was like, but not everyone meets in the same way. My parents met due to my mom and her aunt joining my dad's pack. My dad was a lot older than my mom, while most of the pairs in the pack were the close to the same age, so I know that's not entirely normal," Mender replied, "I didn't really get a chance to learn how to attract a mate from my parents, and I probably will never get a chance to try, but I definitely wouldn't have any chance with a fastbiter that knows what things are supposed to mean without also knowing those meanings. Does that make any sense?"

Orchid blinked. "So I couldn't just tell a girl that I like, that I like her? I mean… it seems to have worked for Nahoda."

"Nahoda almost became breakfast," Mender said, tail-smiling a bit, "Are you sure you want to follow his example?"

At this point the fastrunner was utterly lost and longing for anything that would make this disturbing conversation end. "What does all of this have to do with Ovie?"

"I guess I'll have to just say it. She _likes_ you, Orchid," Mender said, "She's not opposed to you trying to convince her you'd be a good mate." _It's a good thing she didn't consider abandoning her eggs or else we'd be finding pieces of you all throughout the territory with how much trouble moving the eggs was for Verant and the others._

As Mender watched Orchid's expression as it went from disbelief, to disbelief, to… okay, it wasn't changing. It almost appeared as if the fastrunner were frozen in time and place.

"She _does_?" he squeaked in an unbeliving voice.

"Yes, Orchid," Mender said, "That's what Ovie meant by what she said."

Orchid opened his beak before closing it with an audible click. "I'm such an idiot." He then peered his head to the side, and Mender knew exactly who he was trying to catch sight of.

Mender shifted to block Orchid's view of Ovie then shoved her head really close to Orchid as if snapping at him but keeping her mouth shut. "You know that instinct thing, Orchid?"

Orchid, still freaked out by Mender's reaction, merely nodded silently as he tried to move backwards from the predator who was now staring at him eye to eye..

"This is one of those things," Mender explained, "You're not exactly subtle."

Orchid continued to step backwards for a moment before he again rubbed his head crest in embarrassment. "So, um… I should probably keep my distance until next Warm Time." His eyes went wide. "I mean… not that I would… but if I would, then…"

Mender tilted her head with more than little amusement as she placed her arms at her sides in an almost parental display of disapproval.

"I will go check on the hidden runner kids now," Orchid finally whispered in a defeated voice. It was obvious the reality of the situation was still registering in the overwhelmed fastrunner's mind. He only paused for a moment to make sure there was no protest from the fastbiter, and then he took off in a headlong sprint that almost enticed Mender to give chase.

But Orchid had suffered enough.

 _That probably could have gone better,_ Mender thought, _At least he listened. I guess I shouldn't complain too much. With everything that has happened lately, this being my most pressing problem at the moment is something of a relief. Seriously… why didn't his parents cover this?_

Mender shook her head as she rubbed her beak contemplatively.

 _And now there is the matter of what happens now. With Wrok and Questor going after Ignis, I suspect this is not the last that we will hear..._

The rustling of the grass interrupted her thoughts. Something was rapidly approaching.

Slightly startled, Mender turned towards the noise faster than was entirely warranted.

"Hey, Mender? Is Orchid alright? He sped by us faster than Breeze on a hunt!" Spike's voice suddenly penetrated the silence as he appeared through the grass.

"He's fine. There were just a few things his parents hadn't taught him," Mender replied, "I'm not exactly the best teacher, either."

Spike continued to look behind him, as if following something in the distance. "You didn't teach him that claws are sharp, did you? Anyway… everyone has been gathered. Seeker is about to call the meeting."

Mender looked at Spike with a confused expression. "Okay..." _I'm not part of the pack anymore, so what do they need me there for? Especially coming to find me... that's kinda odd._

"Our messenger came back… the one that 'works' for Wrok, but _actually_ works for us. And he said that he has information that you need to hear."

"Me?" Now Mender was even more confused.

"You," Spike reiterated, "So I can only imagine this involves orders from Ignis to your pack, or…"

"Or there's another situation that needs a healer," Mender finished for him, "Great..."

Spike nodded.

Mender sighed before holding up her head up with resolve, "Well, let's go. If someone is sick, then I can't keep them waiting."

Spike didn't need to reply as Mender was already in a fast trot. Instead he merely fell in behind her as they both proceeded towards the pack's usual meeting site. Soon they would know what fate had brought to them.

* * *

 **Ignis's territory:**

"You do realize if anyone sees this then it will be one of the worst acts of cultural contamination this planet has ever seen."

The male rainbowface continued his rowing motion without interruption as his makeshift oar helped to steady their crude vessel. A hollowed out log that barely approximated even the most basic of seacraft. "Worse than showing Spotter spears?"

"No, but…" his mate protested as she too rowed on the other side.

"Worse than 'accidently' showing them basic medical techniques?"

"Chronos…"

"Worse than helping to facilitate an alliance that is reminiscent of something out of twenty-eighth century Xerian diplomacy?"

 **Bonk!**

The oar temporarily found a new home against Chronos's skull before returning it to the water. It had only enough force to make a noise, but it was enough to finally shut him up.

"And before you go on, dear, I am well aware that those children long ago used logs in a similar way," Logos began.

"They're not children anymore," he retorted.

"Irrelevant, dear. And I get that this is safer than going over land. But you have to agree that this is a step above what Seeker and his friends accomplished as kids."

Both of them ducked to avoid a tree branch that crossed over into the stream at near head level. As Logos raised her head, she continued.

"So it will be for the best to make sure none of the hidden runners see this."

Chronos gave his mate a wry look. "No, really, dear? I thought giving them the possibility of naval warfare early would be a fine idea."

 **Bonk!"**

After the oar again found its target, Logos gave her mate a smile as he gave her an exasperated glare.

"So we are agreed that once we skuttle this log that we will make sure no one sees us using it? In particular no one in a species that might be edging towards a regional civil war?"

"You're a cold female, Logos," Chronos mocked as he attempted to return the favor with his oar, only to be stopped by a block from the aforementioned female.

Logos smiled. "Of course I am. I came from an ice planet."

It was at this point the battle of the oars began.

* * *

 _What is going on?_ Trovu wondered, hearing some rather odd sounds coming from the river. Carefully, he peered out from some bushes to actually see the water.

 **Bonk!**

"Ha! Gotcha!"

Trovu silently observed as the most absurd scene came before his eyes. Despite having some difficulty in processing what he was seeing, he willed himself to focus. He was a scout, and that was his duty.

But never before had his duty required him to watch rainbowfaces floating in a log down the river, while engaging in melee combat with what looked like sticks with crudely flattened ends.

 **Bonk!**

"Oof!"

"Pride come before the fall, Chronos!"

 _This is probably the strangest thing I have ever seen,_ Trovu thought, _These are the rainbowfaces? I guess you do have to be kinda crazy to come up with the stuff they have._

"Psst.. what is _that_ , Trovu?"

Trovu jerked Vulan's head down roughly to keep him from being seen. "Quiet, you idiot," Trovu hissed, "And don't move."

Vulan did as he was told as the elder scout peered over the bushes which served as their cover and announced his report, "That is them. The rainbowfaces. _Those_ rainbowfaces."

Vulan's beak quivered. "The messengers of Fate?"

"Yes, those two. You notice that thing they're on? The weird log?" Trovu whispered, trying to keep his voice from carrying.

Vulan nodded and gave an affirmative click with his beak. He could barely notice anything else. Well, besides the two rainbowfaces playfully fighting on top of it.

"Go alert the others so they can examine it. It might be useful to the Great Leader," Trovu ordered.

Vulan looked at Trovu in shock. "But how can we examine it if they are in it? Are we going to throw them out of it? That would be suicide! They would kill us with their rainbowface…" He was cut off as his counterpart grabbed his beak.

"We wait until they get off of it, you idiot. They're supposed to arrive here soon, aren't they?" Trovu glared at his counterpart, _How did this guy survive to adulthood?_

Vulan nodded. It wasn't like he could do anything else with his beak forced shut.

Trovu heard as much as saw the log ground itself on the riverbank. "Go. Now!"

Vulan needed no further prompting before he took off in a blur of movement out of the bushes. Now Trovu was alone to watch the rainbowfaces "hide" their log.

"We should have gone aground sooner than this! Someone could have seen us."

"Well, I would have let you know, dear, but someone seemed content to bop me on the head!"

"Oh, you enjoyed it!"

"That's besides the point!"

Eventually the rainbowfaces pushed the heavy log some distance onto the riverbank, just far enough to not be taken by the waves. But enough distance to make it look like a mere log that had been dragged along by the waves. An odd log, but a log nonetheless. It would have worked had they not had an audience.

Trovu carefully slipped away, noting where the log had been hidden. His job was done.

* * *

The hidden runner took a deep breath as the hard edges of her scrape threatened to dig into her bones. Or at least that was what her nerves were telling her. But despite their protests of discomfort she had more worrisome concerns to deal with.

It was days like this that made the scrape feel more like a tomb than a stable place to sit.

 _Three two-footers dead. An entire fastbiter pack destroyed. What is the game you are playing, Wrok? Or… is this Questor's work? It is rash enough to be an act of desperation, but…_ Ignis rubbed her head in frustration, _I sense something more here… if this is what he is showing, then what is he not showing?_

"Great Leader, the rainbowfaces have arrived," a slightly nervous assistant said, not entirely used to announcing special visitors.

Ignis looked up at the assistant with a cold, impassive expression. At first she was surprised to see anyone but her First Assistant delivering such news, but she quickly remembered that Dravos told her that Penol was dealing with family business. Her appearance quickly softened slightly as she gave the assistant a slight wave of her hand. "Thank you, assistant. Please see them in."

"Yes, ma'am," the assistant said before departing then, once out of sight, hurrying outside to retrieve the rainbowfaces.

The Great Leader leaned back on her scrape as she folded her hands in front of her. _At least the alliance is stable. Now let's see what assistance the valley is prepared to offer._

It did not take long before the murmuring from the others in the chamber began to grow louder in anticipation of the two well-known guests. They were of course not as large and imposing to the younglings as a longneck, or as concerning to the security as a threehorn, or as surprising as a two-footer, but what the rainbowfaces lacked in imposing physicality they more than made up for in sheer exoticness.

She leaned forward as the rainbow-colored beaks appeared through the detail of guards at the cavern entrance. As much as she would refrain from breaking protocol, part of her looked forward to the diplomatic meetings with the rainbowfaces.

One never knew when they would give the most useful information.

The clicking of feet behind her made her look at her two counterparts.

"Viscond, please keep an eye on the guards if Chronos spooks them again."

Her mate tilted his head ever so slightly. "Like if he decides to show us a new sharp stick by bringing it into the…"

Ignis nodded. "And Left Claw?"

Ignis did not look away from the advancing rainbowfaces as Dravos bowed his head slightly. "Great Leader?"

Ignis did not move a muscle. "Observe. I expect your report when they are gone."

Dravos now replicated her expression towards the pack's guests, but with a cold unblinking gaze. "As you command."

As was their custom the rainbowfaces advanced ever so slowly into the cavern, being careful to advance only as far as the closest of the lower-ranked assistants to Ignis, no more than ten body-lengths from her. Then, with deliberate slowness, they lowered their bodies completely to the ground and lowered their heads in something approaching a fastbiter's surrender gesture when death is certain.

The muttering from the assembled assistants at the sides of the cavern grew louder as the newest among their number gasped in shock at the odd gesture. But it soon dissipated into the tense silence that was demanded during such meetings with those of other herds or packs. Though this odd display was not like anything hidden runners did to one another, she had never corrected the rainbowfaces in their conduct. If this was how they wished to show respect then who was she to deny them their custom?

Knowing well that this display could go on for ages unless she gave them some kind of prompting, she quickly spoke, "It is a pleasure to see you both again. I do hope that your journey was not as eventful as the previous one."

The rainbowfaces, rising much more quickly than their drop in the previous kowtow, then allowed themselves to look at Ignis. Well, at her beak that is. For some reason Ignis did not understand they would not look her directly in the eyes. _Is that a respect thing? Or are they observing something?_

"The pleasure is all ours, Ignis, Great Leader of the packs of the western highlands and its allies," Logos began, "We have come alone on this journey, though we had flyer support through the lowlands and barrens."

Several of the newer assistants in the background rubbed their heads in confusion at the odd wording, saying her name first, and then her title, and then listing her territory as if no one present knew what it was. However, Ignis had been through this before.

"It is wise to have flyers in times such as this," Ignis agreed, "But you arrived much quicker than we could have possibly expected. You must have made your journey incredibly fast."

This seemed to have the desired effect as both rainbowfaces appeared flustered by this information. It was Chronos who finally spoke. "You… knew we were coming?"

Ignis allowed the slightest hint of a smile to appear. "Your flyer did not give me an exact time for when you were leaving, but once some of my scout flyers said they saw you go past the Smoking Mountains we assumed you were on your way."

The rainbowfaces hesitated for a moment as Logos and Chronos shared the slightest of looks.

 _Uh huh… I'm on to you two._

"We… have our ways, Great Leader," Chronos said cryptically, "I hope that you understand that we cannot…"

"Oh, I certainly understand," Ignis broke in to show the slightest bit of mercy, "We all have to have our own secrets, especially in times like this. But I do hope in time that you will feel comfortable in sharing this secret with your friends, just like the others." The kind smile she now offered them was matched with equally kind eyes. Only the triangular placement of her claws in front of her confirmed that two conversations were going on here. _What more hidden messages do you have for us to decipher, rainbowfaces?_

For the rainbowfaces' part they seemed to collect themselves rather quickly, resuming their respectful if overly formal demeanor.

"We will certainly see if that can be arranged… in the future, Great Leader," Logos said, "Unfortunately what we came to share is something of a somewhat confidential nature."

Ignis nodded as she stomped her foot twice. None of the assistants present needed any further prompting as they each gave a slight bow by bobbing their heads and then proceeded towards the exits of the cavern. This was to be a confidential audience.

Both rainbowfaces appeared to be surprised and perhaps a bit concerned about the orderly display of power as the cavern emptied upon the unspoken command. Within moments it was only the rainbowfaces in the center of the cavern, the two main guards at the entrance, and at the scrape, the Great Leader, her favored mate, and her Left Claw.

"You may speak freely and drop the pretense now."

The rainbowfaces looked at her as if she had grown a second tail. "Great Leader?"

"Ignis will do," she corrected, "If this is a matter of life and death for our herds then I want to hear it without the Old Ways clouding our meaning."

Something seemed to sparkle in Chronos's eyes. "So drop the crap and speak freely?"

Logos looked at him in horror. "Dear?"

Ignis couldn't help but smirk. "Exactly. What peril is facing our herds?"

Logos sighed. "Well… there is no easy way to say this… but it seems that treachery now extends to our lovely valley."

Ignis leaned back. "I see. Care to explain?"

There was another long pause before Chronos spoke. "We are still investigating, or well, the valley is, but it seems like one of our flyer messengers was working for Wrok."

"Hano, the one that Seeker's pack had for a snack," Ignis noted as both rainbowfaces appeared to look around uncomfortably, "Spotter was nice enough to tell us that piece of information."

"Did he also tell you that the valley is ripe for conflict?" Logos questioned.

Now it was Ignis's turn to be silent. "No. No, he did not."

"The valley is going through the same struggles that any civi… herd would go through when enemies have been dealt with and populations are growing. Land disputes are growing, the entrances to the valley are no longer as welcoming as they were, and some herds might be looking for any excuse to get a little more." Chronos tilted his head. "Sound familiar?"

Ignis rose. "It does. And I take it that you think some valley members might not have the alliance's best interests at heart?"

Chronos nodded. "Exactly. It is for that reason that we..." He pointed at his mate and himself. "...wanted to give you a suggestion directly. One that the valley would not give, because it involves something that they would not know."

Ignis's heart began to beat faster in anticipation. _What do you know?_

"We know that you have spies around the valley," Chronos continued, "And we cannot blame you; after all, we all have to have secrets, right? But you should realize that a caught spy, or a framed murder, is all that a conspirator would need to utterly ruin all that you and us have built over the last eight Cold Times."

Now it was Ignis's turn to be on the spot, though she forced her expression to remain neutral. "Don't take this the wrong way, Chronos and Logos, but if you were hidden runners I would suspect you were potential Left Claws in training."

Logos did not blink, matching the expression that she could only imagine Dravos was giving them at the moment. "We have already had our training, Ma'am."

Ignis nodded. "I can see that. Care to explain who did the training? Though I do not plan on replacing my dear Dravos." She allowed herself to briefly look at him despite the fact he did not look away from the rainbowfaces. "Some of my children could benefit from training in the more unfortunate truths in this world."

Chronos allowed himself the slightest smile. "Fate taught us."

Ignis snorted. "Fate trains us all."

Silence reigned for several moments as all of the dinosaurs present took in the information that had been presented. The non-answers from both sides confirmed that there were secrets about, but secrets that everyone knew existed. Such known-unknowns were more tolerable than crueler secrets or conspiracies made in malice. Despite her annoyance, Ignis could tell that the rainbowfaces tried to keep their secrets for what they considered the best interests of them all.

"I will give the proper orders to my scouts." Ignis was careful to not admit they were spies. "And thank you for letting me know of the unpleasant truths of the valley. Unfortunately too many of my kind's unpleasant truths are no longer hidden."

Logos nodded at this. "If one cannot run as a runner, or hide as a hider, then the only choice is to fight. But we have to be careful that the fight does not work into the plans of our adversaries."

Ignis could only nod at that. Perhaps she was getting some of their mysterious training after all?

She looked over at Dravos and gave him a nod with an obvious meaning. _Observation over._

"I do not believe that you have had the opportunity to see my little ones. Would you all like to see them?" Ignis offered kindly, looking forward to move on from the heavy conversation and to move on to happier topics, if even for a brief moment.

Both rainbowfaces perked up at that before they both spoke almost in unison, "We would be honored."

She nodded at Viscond. "Would you care to bring them to the family chamber? I will be there shortly as soon as I can make an excuse to my assistants."

Her mate smiled. "So make sure dinner is served early?"

"You know my mind," Ignis responded before giving him a playful nip, "For now I must attend to my duties."

 _My duties…_ Ignis muttered internally as she tapped her foot twice as a signal for the rest of her entourage to again enter her cavern. _Sometimes I wonder if Wrok or Questor would actually want my place if they knew what it's like._

Little did she know that plans were already in motion that would challenge her place.

* * *

 **Seeker's territory:**

Orchid did not quite realize that he was running until Staza gave him an odd look. The look that fastbiters give when they want to run too.

He quickly slowed and rubbed his head crest in an awkward gesture before giving her a friendly nod. The sort of gesture that could serve as both a 'hello' and 'you do not need to use me for hunting practice' gesture. Just to be on the safe side he sat down next to Ruby. Sometimes it was useful to have a fastbiter as an older sister.

"Are you alright, brother? It looks like you were being chased by something chasing you."

Orchid could only squirm at the sudden mentioning of his predicament as he briefly glanced in Staza's direction. "Uh… I was just running because I heard the call."

As he looked up at his sister, being greeted by her predatory face at a distance that would have made any other fastrunner bolt for dear life, he was greeted with something more distressing to him than a glare or malicious grin. He was greeted with a sisterly roll of the eyes.

"I think Staza knows that if Mender wanted you caught then she would have already caught you."

Orchid could only sigh and internally protest his sister's prod of his running skills as he was greeted with a playful nudge. _I guess some things never change._

The brief moment of levity concluded as quickly as he had started, however, as Mender's head appeared in the distance. It seemed that everyone was arriving.

But this did not answer a burning question in the fastrunner's mind: what were they running into? He had been so focused on getting away from Mender's awkward talk that he did not give much heed to what the meeting was actually about. As soon as he had heard the call he simply ran in a new direction.

That was when he saw the new flyer perch on the tree above them.

"Who is that?" he asked absentmindedly.

"That… is why we are all here."

Orchid avoided the urge to jump as Littlefoot walked beside him, taking his usual place in the center of the meeting circle. It was a sign that the meeting was about to start.

The second sign was Mender and Cynnil sliding into place beside him. Now everyone was present.

The meeting circle was silent for several moments as Littlefoot appeared to take inventory of everyone present. Only the various children, Nahoda, and his younger sister seemed to be absent from the impromptu meeting. Based upon those details alone, he could only assume that this was not for younger ears, and that his younger sister and her mate had been volunteered for youngling-sitting duty.

Littlefoot nodded when he had finished examining the crowd. "Those of you who are not pack will not be aware, but this is one of our allied flyers. Like Hano he serves two masters, but only actually obeys one. Unlike Hano, this one obeys us."

"And for that reason he is still alive," Soar added for good measure as her mate nodded in agreement.

Verant and Staza looked at each other, concerned. It was clear from their expressions that neither of them liked all of this duplicity. "Wouldn't just spying on the enemy be simpler?" Staza asked, "If you've already had to deal with one betrayal, why risk more?"

Orchid could only nod at her reasoning. His father had always taught him that the more complicated the plan, the more likely it would fail. And a failure for a fastrunner was usually a prelude to becoming someone's meal. Subconsciously Orchid looked for Nahoda among the assembled crowd.

"Sadly the other spies have met unfortunate ends," the messenger flyer spoke with regret in his voice, "I have no idea how Wrok finds them… but I do not want to find out personally. That is why I only come here when I have the chance, and only when the skies are clear."

The fastrunner could only tilt his head slightly at that. _And how exactly did they get you to join the cause? What is in this for something that has no problem finding fish?_

Cynnil's whispered question to Ruby matched his own. "Do you trust this one?"

Ruby did not look back as she whispered in return, "The valley does. And he has not failed us _yet_."

Orchid looked over at his pack leader for a moment, trying to read her for clues as to her thinking. His sister had not sounded entirely confident, but at the same time she did not sound suspicious either… and the best way to judge a person's character was from past events. He was a bit disappointed when his attempt at thinking through the problem was interrupted by events of the meeting.

"Unfortunately the only thing I can report at this time is what I have heard in the valley. The only message Wrok had for his scouts was to lay in wait until the signal was given."

That caught Cynnil's attention immediately. "Wait, so you all know where Wrok's spies _are_?"

"We do, and he tells the valley's defenses," Ducky answered, "If Wrok knows that his spies are found out then he will send more."

"And he will know he needs a new flyer," the messenger flyer added.

"So instead of doing something permanent about the spies, you just keep track of them. That might work if you plan something big then take out the spies right before you do it. Personally I'd like to see if I could make him run out of spies, but the valley isn't up for a constant fight like that, I guess."

The messenger seemed to pause for a moment, looking concerned at the fastbiter's suggestion, before finally taking on a reluctant expression. Orchid could only imagine that he was glad to be on the branch as opposed to being within Verant's pouncing range. When the flyer did speak it was in a rushed tone. "The opportunity might present itself, but please forgive me but my time is short. Wrok will be expecting me."

Littlefoot took the opportunity to quiet all discussion. That could happen once the flyer had said his message. "Of course, what do you have for us, Nalan?"

The flyer paused for a moment before placing one wing on his chest and letting the other open in an expansive gesture. "I fear that the valley is in much danger. Wrok's deputy gave me one message to send back to Wrok."

Orchid couldn't help but lean forward as he waited on the flyer's next sentence.

"Everything is as you planned. As soon as their flyer returns we will use the blue sap. Who will trust the pack when their flyer brings death in his wings?"

For the briefest of moments Orchid's mind was confused by the vague message, but then it was inundated with an echo of something. Something that his mother had told him long ago: _Sap brown and icky, makes you sticky; sap blue and thin, does you in._

"This could be a problem," Mender said, thinking about how many ways this could make things go wrong.

"Those monsters!"

Orchid jumped out of the way as Cynnil suddenly walked into the meeting circle, her green feathers puffed out in what was equal parts threat display and fear.

"So not only is Wrok willing to kill a pack while it sleeps, but he also wants to sicken an entire valley because he thinks they are stupid enough to blame Spotter for spreading disease?" She gestured at Petrie.

As if to answer her question, Cera clawed at the ground angrily before growling. "That bastard knows that some of them are _exactly_ that stupid! Ever since what happened…" she trailed off for a moment, "...before."

"Well." Orchid felt as if Chomper's deep voice were vibrating through every bone his body. "I guess defending the killer of a valley member can create some grudges. Who knew?"

Orchid turned his head quickly as he shook his body as if to extricate the eeriness of having a two-footer speak mere meters away from him. It was then that he saw more than a hint of hurt in the purple sharptooth's expression. A hint of something that his bitter response did not convey.

"Grudge or not, we did the right thing," Leap affirmed forcefully.

"We never apologize for protecting our own, or their family," Taunt agreed, "Even if your father did try to eat me that one time."

Chomper did not respond verbally, but merely snorted at Taunt's response; however his demeanor changed for the better as quickly as it had turned morose. The change, coupled with the reference to Chomper's father, quickly filled Orchid in on what was being referred to. Some in the valley still held the pack as responsible for the Dein and Terri's hunt. When the chance came to take the valley's side, the pack had chosen to defend Chomper instead.

 _He is playing on what drives us apart,_ Orchid frowned deeply as he looked at his three packmates in turn, even Buse seemed to get the implications, _First breaking the hidden runners from the valley… and now my sister's pack._

"The best thing we can do is to stick together."

Instantly every eye at the meeting was focused on the purple fastbiter who had broken the silence. It was only when she noticed this that Mender was made aware that she had spoken aloud.

"We might be able to do something about the sap. Well, not make it go away, of course," Mender suggested, or rather tried to without rambling too much, "The problems it causes are treatable, though. If some of us went to help, the valley might not blame us for what happened, at least not enough to stop working with us. Why intentionally make a mess of things if we're just going to help solve the problem?"

Verant clinked his sickle claw against the same tree the flyer was perched on, briefly making the flyer consider taking flight. "We can solve the problem before it starts if one of us gets the hidden runners first."

Orchid was taken aback by the sudden flurry of activity. From what had been two bastions of caution concerning the flyer now came the biggest endorsements of action. The whiplash of their opinions did not do as much to persuade the fastrunner towards a course of action as did his own conflicting motivations. Yes he was frightened by the prospect of encountering hidden runners… just waiting to do mischief… but at the same time it excited some part of him as well. He had joined this pack to be a healer, to see the world and to do good. If he could do that and also see the Great Valley again…

"I'll help!" Orchid nearly yelped out before he ran over to Mender's side, endeavoring to let his legs make the decision final before his brain could talk himself out of it.

Cynnil watched both of her packmates with bemusement for a moment before she walked over to them and then deliberately walked in front of Mender, giving Orchid a half-hearted glare. "I agree with Mender's suggestion. We can do some good here. Even if the hidden runners do not succeed, our presence will show your pack's continued support."

Littlefoot raised his clawed hand in a cautious gesture. "Are you sure about this, Cynnil? It might be possible that your arrival could invite an unwelcome response from the valley."

"By unwelcome he means a spear to the face," Taunt added.

"Thanks for the clarification, Taunt." Cynnil muttered before rubbing her beak contemplatively. "Maybe if we had a familiar face with us then they would ask questions before attacking?"

There was some barely audible discussion among the pack as each mated pair debated with each other over who would stay and who would go. Only Ducky and Spike appeared to be comfortable staying put as they had just returned from a long journey. Well, Chomper too, as the last time he and the valley met it had resulted in an exchange of blows.

Soar and Petrie, meanwhile, looked at each other with concerned looks. Whoever went on this trip would not have flyer support. It was almost too convenient.

Finally an audible 'hmph' erupted from Cera as Taunt stepped forward. "They know me, and my pattern is hard to miss." He rubbed his orange torso for emphasis as his black stripes shined in the radiance of the Bright Circle. "So they should know that we are all friendly."

Orchid watched the proceedings with more than a little interest. His pack was already assembled, with Buse having dutifully shoved him back into the back of the line as he took his place as third in the pack. And it now appeared that extra muscle in the form of Taunt was at their side as well. It was only when he turned his expectant eyes on Littlefoot that he noticed something was amiss.

The brown fastbiter took a deep breath. "This is all too convenient. Assuming that we are getting the full picture here what is going to prevent us from getting the blame if all of you arrive post-attack? Instead of blaming our flyers they could blame us directly."

Petrie shifted forward as he turned towards the messenger with an expressionless glare. "Do you think he is lying, Seeker?"

He caught the tone immediately and waved Petrie off from doing anything rash. "I am saying that Wrok and his people talks in riddles. They may not want even their flyers to know the full message. Less of a risk if they are caught."

Breeze looked up with a suspicious glance. "Or persuaded to switch sides."

The messenger took a step sideways on his perch as he preened himself awkwardly. He was avoiding everyone's glances as if they were spears.

"All the more reason to kill Wrok's spies before they have a chance to do anything."

Orchid turned towards the gruff voice as Verant looked at each packmate in turn. As if sensing that his point were not clear enough, he began to pace as if the inaction annoyed him. Despite this he began to talk is a softer voice.

"So why not do both?" Verant suggested, "Mender and her group can go to the valley to help keep things from getting worse. While they're doing that, I can hunt down some of the spies. If they realize they're being targeted, they shouldn't suspect that we know where they are. After all, I have plenty of reasons to hunt down Wrok's allies until his name is forgotten in the Mysterious Beyond."

As Orchid listened to the fastbiter make his points clearly and concisely, he was taken aback by the shift in tone. Was this the same fastbiter who appeared ready to remove his head from his body if he even looked at Ovie wrong? Based upon the scents of surprise and happiness radiating from Mender, he could only conclude that he was not the only one noticing the change.

Staza opened her mouth but closed it forcefully before she said anything, sighing in resignation.

As if sensing the unspoken tensions between the pair, Littlefoot stepped between them and gave each compassionate glances. "I want everyone coming back from this, you understand? That means you," he pointed directly at Verant, "will need someone to watch your back."

Ruby walked over to give her mate a look. "Are you sure?"

Littlefoot shrugged. "Ever since he moved into the lowlands, he said that he was willing to help if we needed it."

Verant tilted his head in confusion as Staza sat beside him in a show of support. "And who is this?"

The messenger flyer did not need to hear anything more, however, as he had sent the necessary message. Without making a sound except the gentle gust of air from his flapping wings, he ascended into the sky only circling three times to secure Petrie's clearance to depart. Facing forward into the Bright Circle's welcoming radiance, the flyer silently flew towards his next destination.

* * *

 **Questor's territory:**

A loud percussion, both unexpected and deafening, erupted across the land as blinding hot light appeared in the distance. As the thunder announced its presence to the scattered pack its members quickly hastened their movements to seek refuge under the canopies of trees that were all around them. All except for one of their number.

"Oh Fate, oh destiny, oh Bright Circle… let your followers come to me…"

The hidden runner remained motionless as he sat against the now agitated blades of grass, moving in tandem with the winds of the distant storm. Its grey clouds rippling in the sky like a serpent beneath the waves; threatening to break the surface, but hesitating to strike.

"Like a storm that brings no peace… I'm most fulfilled, but yet unfinished."

The moisture contained within the clouds threatened to break its distant, unseen prison as the scent of water filled the hidden runner's senses. Against the growing wind his green feathers appeared to flutter in its embrace. Even as the flyer landed with a resounding thud close to his body the hidden runner did not flinch. It was as if he feared no talon or betrayer.

"Hear me, and make all my kind subjects before me;

So that every runner of the ground;

In this pack and beyond it;

On dry land and beyond the rushing waters;

May be obedient to me."

It was only when the hidden runner whispered his words that the rain, so long held back, began to fall upon the dry ground below. Despite this the flyer dared not move, instead observing his patron carefully.

 _He's at it again. Still assuming he's chosen by Fate when he hasn't won yet,_ Nalan thought.

If his doubts were not enough to make him doubt the wisdom of Questor at this particular moment, the growing moisture on his wings was certainly making him doubt Questor's sanity. Why in the heck was he sitting in the rain?

Though, if Nalan was honest with himself, it was not the first time that Questor had done something questionable. In fact, Nalan's continued life was a testament to that.

 _The flyer's wings fluttered in a sad mockery of movement as weakness overcame his body. He had survived the harsh winds of the barrens and the frightening gales of the Big Water, but he could not overcome the hunger that grew from his long, lonely journey. And now it seemed that his journey was at an end._

" _Odd finding a flyer here."_

 _Nalan thrashed his wings in a desperate attempt to again become airborne, a feat that had eluded him for the better part of a day. The words were sharptooth… but the tone…_

 _His eyes locked onto the source of his sudden fear. There stood not a massive sharptooth, or an elusive fastbiter, but rather one of the most misunderstood creatures of the jungles and bogs: the hidden runner. Despite the small size of the specimen, no more than a mere juvenile, Nalan knew that it would be more than enough to scavenge the meat from his bones._

 _The flyer snapped his beak aggressively. He would not go down with a fight._

" _You flyers follow the Bright Circle, do you not?"_

 _Nalan nodded slightly, too surprised to verbally respond._

 _The hidden runner appeared to look at something in his hands for a moment. It took a few moments for Nalan to recognize it as a fish._

" _Kind of an odd thing to follow, isn't it? It even hurts your eyes if you try to look at it!"_

" _The Bright Circle provides food," Nalan snapped back, "Well, food for the food."_

 _The young hidden runner leaned back against a tree, as if amused by the little flyer. "It's taking its time in providing for you, isn't it?"_

 _Nalan just glared at the hidden runner._

" _Questor, where are you!"_

 _The new voice made the flyer quake in fear. The young hidden runner was a threat, but an adult hidden runner…_

 _If he had any energy left in his bones he would have jumped when the fish landed right in front of his beak. Instead he swallowed the welcome morsel in something that was halfway between a bite and an inhalation. Food. Glorious food was again in his gullet!_

" _Fate provides, flyer. No light in the sky. Fate."_

" _What's that?" Nalan asked._

 _The hidden runner looked at the flyer for a moment before snorting and breaking out in laughter. With the flyer confused expression and expectant eyes he looked equal parts ridiculous and innocent._

 _Questor's eyes sparkled. "Fate is what saved you today. Perhaps you should follow it? It's what we hidden runners do."_

" _Questor!" the parent's voice echoed once more, now closer than it once was, "If I have to track you down then Fate help me when I find you!"_

 _The hidden runner looked back at the flyer for a moment. "Or follow me. Fate seems to follow me around." And just like that he sprinted off, disappearing into the bushes, presumably towards his parents unseen._

 _It took Nalan several more seasons to find out what Fate was, and several more to again hear of a hidden runner named Questor, but he did come to a conclusion on that desperate day._

 _The flyer aimed his gaze away from the Bright Circle and into the deep blues of the coming night. He knew not where this Fate resided, but he would try his best to follow it._

The blinding flash of Sky Fire broke Nalan from his thoughts as he flapped his wings out of fear, rising several meters before regaining his senses and coming back to the ground, his talons splashing in the rapidly accumulating water.

"Do not be afraid, Nalan. Fate does not wish us to die today."

"I don't think we should tempt it, just in case," Nalan said, looking up nervously at the storm.

Questor raised his head towards the sky. As droplets of rain ran down his feathers, glistening in the radiance of the periodic flashes of Sky Fire, his eyes appeared to focus on something unseen. Something that only he could see.

"You still doubt."

The flyer shifted awkwardly as if the hidden runner were staring into his very soul. Questor, however, was not even looking in his direction.

"I have done things that would have gotten anyone else killed. I have taken mates to secure my position and dispensed with them. I have killed a pack leader in cold blood. And I have made enemies with the most powerful of my kind. But yet I live. Do you know why that is, Nalan?"

"Fate protects you?" Nalan guessed.

It was only now that Questor rose from his seated position and shook his body, releasing a torrent of water in every direction. "Yes. But also because my people are beginning to believe."

He looked the flyer in eyes, an intense expression on his face. "Don't you see, Nalan, this is exactly where I want Wrok to be. My enemies may kill my lesser servants…" He looked at the distant vista where Ryzor would be returning after his message to the valley was sent, assuming he was not finally discovered. "And they may disrupt some of my fine plans. But the ultimate prize is within reach. Because everything is as I have intended."

Questor grinned. "Did the valley discover Ryzor yet?"

"I don't know," Nalan replied.

"As soon as the valley discovers the idiot, and he delivers his message… no one will trust anyone, you see? The domeheads will think Wrok is playing them. If the valley sees him then they will know a plot is afoot. And everyone will distrust everyone else. Which is where Fate's chosen talon will strike the killing blow…"

Questor clasped both of his hands against Nalan's shoulders as if anticipating great news.

"Did you send your _true leaders_ the message that I requested?"

Nalan felt his doubts dissipating as Questor spoke. It was when he spoke so majestically about Fate's greater plan that he almost believed to the extent that Questor did. "I told the valley of Ignis's spies… telling them that they were Wrok's, of course. And I talked to our little friend in the Hidden Canyon, telling him to prepare to welcome a _very_ special guest."

Questor's smile grew. "And?"

Nalan nodded. "It looks like Seeker's pack is going to send a healer party to stop the _infamous_ blue sap plot."

The hidden runner practically embraced the flyer before pulling away, in a gesture that would have scandalized most other hidden runners.

"Then the trap is set. Soon we will have the valley against itself, as leaf-muncher suspects leaf-muncher. The valley against Ignis, as the idiots unwittingly attack their own ally. And a dead healer, making Seeker's pack turn against the valley. In the coming cataclysm who will be left to stand with Ignis in her fight with Wrok? Regardless of who wins we all know who Fate has decided will pick up the scraps."

Sky Fire crashed again, casting the entire sky in artificial daylight despite the thick clouds.

Questor smiled. "Do you still doubt?"

 _I would doubt less if the Sky Fire wasn't so close,_ Nalan thought. "Not anymore."

The hidden runner nodded. "Good. So now I hope that the message I demanded that you send to your _other, other master_ , makes sense."

"So Wrok does something that ensures Ignis will go after him," Nalan said, "Very clever."

Questor only smiled at the flyer's compliment. "When two tiny biters fight over a ground fuzzy do you know who gets the meal, Nalan?"

The hidden runner walked a few steps before answering his own question.

"Whoever eats the survivor."

* * *

 **Wrok's territory:**

Wrok rubbed his beak in frustration as he watched the storm erupt all around him. Compared to the news he had obtained hours before, however, the storm appeared to be the least threatening thing in the Mysterious Beyond.

 _So Ignis actually thinks she can satisfy the insufferable idiot with diplomacy? This is stupid; and Ignis is many things but she is not that… no, there has to be more at work here. There...:_

He shook his head. If it was not diplomacy then that left only one possibility, no matter how distasteful.

 _She knows that giving him Penol would grant him a path to her scrape. So why risk it? Does she plan to secure his peace to go after me? What does she expect will happen when the victor arises, bloody and weakened?_

He didn't want to say the answer even in his own mind. Questor would undoubtedly resume his battle with Ignis at that point, and with a pack flush with success fighting against a weakened competitor, well, Wrok knew who Fate would favor.

And it wouldn't be him or Ignis.

 _Sometimes it is better to be guilty than to appear impotent._

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of splashing water.

"You wanted to see us, sir?"

Wrok took a deep breath as Greenshade's voice registered in his ears. "You are aware of the report that the flyer gave before the storm?"

Greenshade hesitated for a moment. "We… have been briefed, sir."

Silence fell over everyone assembled for several moments as the storm continued to rage around them, shaking the branches of the trees which provided a limited amount of protection from the elements. Thunder and Sky Fire summarized Wrok's mood well enough.

It was time to make a storm of their own.

"Capture Penol at all costs. Kill all witnesses. We must not let Questor know that this victory was snatched from his jaws."

"Everyone?" Greenshade asked, "Why not capture some of them?"

Wrok paused for a moment as the other deputies looked at Greenshade as if she had gone mad. It was only then that she felt the tension among the assembled deputies.

"We could extract information from some of them if that is what you have in mind," Wrok said coldly, "but none can be allowed to reach Questor. If he knows what transpires here then it will be battle between us, and that means Ignis will finish up what remains. We must have her in our possession so that we can set the narrative, not Ignis."

He turned and forcefully clasped Greenshade's shoulders and stared straight into her eyes.

"This means the survival of this pack and all of our hopes depends on Questor not receiving this party. He must think that we have gained her from a raid, and that Ignis never offered her to him as peace terms. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

Wrok nodded. "Good. Now let's turn this unexpected setback into another step towards our eventual victory."

* * *

 **Ignis's territory:**

"Urgh… what a day."

Ignis sank into her sleeping area with such a lack of grace that it would have scandalized some of the more formal members of her entourage. The Night Circle had finally graced the night with its presence, a sign that her toils could come to an end until the morrow brought more troubles her way. Now all she had to do is wait for her mates and children to get done with showing the rainbowfaces the latest in scouting techniques and…

Her thoughts were interrupted by a gentle scraping outside of her sleeping chamber.

...and she had a meeting with her Left Claw.

"Enter, Dravos."

She watched the dully illuminated entrance as a long shadow crept through the earthen opening. It only took a moment for the figure of her closest advisor to appear with both of his claws clasped together as if contemplating something.

"I do hope that I am not interrupting anything."

Ignis rolled her eyes as she gestured for him to sit at the other end of the chamber, which was barely large enough to fit her family. The closeness was not a failure in the chamber's design, however, as it ensured that their body heat was sufficient to keep everyone warm during the Cold Times. But on this spring day it was not the cold which threatened to send a shiver up her spine.

"The only thing you are interrupting is the quiet of my chamber. The children will interrupt that soon enough anyway."

Dravos did not speak for a few seconds. "You do not sound happy about that prospect."

"I am not happy about the prospect of me never seeing them again. If what you have said about Questor is true then he might be idiotic enough to try to dispose of me through less direct means."

Dravos nodded at this. "From what we have heard he does believe himself to be in Fate's favor, which has led others in the past to attempting foolish things. But we have made preparations, Ma'am. Not even I can get here without reason."

Ignis looked at the cavern opening for a moment. "It seems that you did not have any difficulty."

Dravos snorted. "That is only because you did not observe the four guards who gave me the agreed-upon test. I had to be pure in scent and word."

"And what was today's word?" Ignis prompted.

"Crest feather," he answered simply.

"That's two words," she protested with a smirk.

Dravos shrugged. "I cannot be held responsible for your mate's vocabulary, ma'am. Perhaps you should make the secret word for tomorrow?"

Ignis merely yawned. "I think that I have other things to attend to, Left Claw, this is something that I am sure Penol can handle. I already accidently put her on guard duty once, after all."

The silence that followed her attempt at humor lasted for several seconds. It was a pause that Ignis could not overlook.

"How is her family situation?" Ignis asked softly.

Dravos opened his beak for a moment before answering. "She is taking care of a delicate situation for one of her loved ones. But I fear it is one of those situations where having the Great Leader intervene would benefit her adversaries."

Ignis frowned as she considered her interpretation of Dravos's words. _So her grandparents are still giving her mother problems even after I elevated Penol to First Assistant. If Penol wouldn't object I would have them both de-feathered for such insolence! She is their daughter!_

Ignis took a deep breath. "Nonetheless she will need to resume her lessons and duties soon. She might just have to learn that some things cannot be helped."

Dravos bowed his head slightly. "Indeed."

"I will want to check on her in a few days," Ignis added.

Dravos opened his mouth for a moment before closing it. "I trust we will have word about her soon."

Dravos looked concerned for a moment as his eyes followed his leader's beak. As soon as said beak opened into a wide yawn he knew that he was free.

Ignis rubbed her eyes. "Alright, let's get this over with… what did you think of the rainbowfaces' latest meeting with us?"

Dravos allowed himself the slightest hint of a smile as he proceeded to give his analysis of their words and actions. He knew full well that their latest meeting was not nearly as interesting as what would soon be transpiring.

Sometimes for the best interests of everyone the Right Claw should not know what the Left Claw is doing. Not while the Right Claw could interfere, anyway...

* * *

Greenshade tried to keep her misgivings to herself as one of her team members again collided with her backside as they half-walked, half-crawled through the thick swamp. Despite her team being one of three searching for the promised diplomatic party, she was growing quite concerned that none of them would find their target in this mess.

 _What idiot planned this route? They might be passing through an open area, but at this rate we'll miss them entirely._ Greenshade was relieved when she finally found solid ground again. _At least there's only a few real paths through here. Everywhere else is too mucky._

She looked down at the foliage some distance away. The hill that they were on quickly gave way to what looked like a trampled line of terrain which was free of trees and thick foliage. This must have been the longneck migration route she had been told about. _Count on longnecks to be stupid enough to want to migrate through all of this!_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a series of distinct clicks emanating from the other side of the path. It was a pattern of clicks that she recognized.

 _Great. Someone else beat us here._ Annoyed, she made her response, the clicks sounding far too loud in what for the moment was near quiet.

Silence reigned for a few moments, and briefly Greenshade was worried that she had done something wrong. The last thing that she needed was for some in her own pack assuming her group were a hostile force.

 **Click!**

She took a deep breath. That was the acknowledgement signal.

 _I guess we should find another path to watch,_ Greenshade thought, turning to tell her followers about the change in plans. _Wait, what's that?_

In the distance, almost too faint to see against the thick foliage, there was the slightest hint of movement in the bushes. She had to do a double take to make sure that she was not seeing things, but as soon as the next bush moved in the same manner her eyes narrowed.

 _The wind's blowing in the wrong direction for that... We've got 'em._

Greenshade silently moved back to her group as quickly as she dared. She immediately signaled for them to follow her stealthily by tapping the hidden runner behind her with a double tap. As if on cue, he signaled to the hidden runner behind him and so on until the entire group of eight was alerted to the situation. Then, silently, each hidden runner followed the tail of the packmate in front of them, moving as a single unit in the thick underbrush.

She tried to keep her breathing under control as she clawed vine after vine away from her face as she half-crawled, half-slid down into the makeshift path. It was only when she was halfway down that she raised a hand. The group stopped immediately.

 _Okay, so how do we do this? I have no idea how many of them there are, so simply blocking their way won't work. They'd either go through us or simply turn back. We've got to trap them._ Greenshade hurriedly signaled for her group to split into two flanking groups. _I hope this works._

There was no time to be apprehensive, however, and Greenshade quickly slid down from her elevated position into the slight depression of the migration path, ignoring the pain and discomfort from the plants and vines smacking her in the face. As soon as her feet again met solid ground she proceeded to sprint towards the other side, hoping to ambush Penol's advancing group on the other side.

But she had forgotten about the other team.

In a moment that seemed to stretch on into eternity the whistling sound of wood against air rang across the swamp. Out of sheer instinct Greenshade threw herself to the ground.

But as soon as a loud thump emanated in the distance she realized that she had not been the target. Instead someone had fired the first attack of the engagement.

"We're under attack!"

"Oh, why did we agree…"

"Keep close, everyone!"

Greenshade frowned as she picked herself off of the ground. There was no time for strategy now. Penol's group now knew they were under attack. Now was the time to engage.

She waved her spear into the air. "Everyone advance!"

Her heart threatened to beat out of her chest as she ran with as much speed as she could muster in what felt like a dream. Her feet contacted the ground, but they felt numb. Her beak took in air, but it felt heavy. Her spear advanced forward, but it felt like part of her. In the end the battle cries of her packmates melted into the background of the surreal scene. It was only the taste of adrenaline in her throat that made her snap out of her single-mindedness.

Moving ahead, Greenshade actually froze for a moment, shocked at just how small her opponent's group was. _Great. Three scared kids trying to protect another kid._ That presented its own set of problems.

The hidden runner in the center, who she could only assume was Penol, was staring at the rampaging hidden runners with abject horror. Her three defenders, however, were practically shaking their spears as they looked into the face of certain death. A death which nearly met one of them as a spear sailed over their heads. This led to another hurling their spear squarely at Penol who ducked at the last possible moment.

"Stop! We need her alive, you idiots!" the other deputy cried as he tackled another one of his number who was about to let his spear go.

"Surround them. Don't give them room to escape," Greenshade ordered.

The yelling and commotion around the surrounded hidden runners continued, and for a moment Greenshade thought that she had not been heard. Before she could repeat herself, however, the hidden runners from each group began to advance with their spears outstretched. Time was quickly running out for Penol's defenders.

As the stampede of sharpened sticks came at them, Greenshade watched the facial expressions of the four hidden runners. The three defenders for all of their youth and inexperience seemed to be increasing in resolve as they tightened their grips on their spears.

"Drop your sticks!" Greenshade ordered, "Drop your sticks - you are coming with us!"

Penol's eyes seem to flicker with regret as she took a step forward. The three defenders did not appear to notice as they aimed their spears forward. Their expressions were fearful but their eyes had a coldness that Greenshade had only seen a few times in her life. They were resolved to die to prevent Penol from being taken.

Greenshade gave the other deputy a brief look as he shrugged with some regret. It was a gesture that said 'well, you tried'.

For her part, all Greenshade could do was raise her own spear. _In that case I am sorry. Die well, kids._

"Drop your sticks."

Everyone, friend and foe alike, stopped to stare at the source of the voice. It was Penol.

The young hidden runner took a deep breath as her body sagged as if holding a heavy burden. Only her eyes hinted at the formidable blood in her veins. The blood of a hatched leader.

"You heard me; drop your sticks."

One of the females obeyed immediately as she raised her hands to show she had no weapon, whereas the other two hesitated.

"We cannot allow you to be taken! You know what Drav…"

Penol merely laid a hand on the other youngling's shoulder. "You were ordered to obey my orders. And I am ordering you to not die for me."

The female hesitated as her remaining counterpart also dropped her weapon. "You know how Wrok's pack is. What if death is better than… than…"

"That's not going to happen," Greenshade said, cutting the younger hidden runner off, "I give you my vow. Any ill treatment you receive, I will demand to receive in your place."

The two groups stared at one another for several moments as the last female hesitated in dropping her weapon. It was only once she closed her eyes that Greenshade realized what was going to happen.

The spear dropped to the ground.

Greenshade gestured at the other deputy. Despite the fact that he had nearly botched the whole thing she had no illusions that she could smooth this out with assistance from her counterpart.

Perhaps a quid pro quo was in order?

He leaned in towards her. "Greenshade?"

"We both did this together, right? Perhaps we could end this _my_ way, so that the report happens in _our_ way?"

She watched as the male's face went through a sequence of expressions from surprise, elation, and then suspicion. If the rather unfortunate beginning of this operation did not make it to Wrok then that would ensure that he would not fall out of favor.

"I'm listening."

Greenshade nodded. "Let me and some of the females escort them to Wrok. We've gotten what he wants. There is no reason to let this escalate further."

The other deputy was silent for a moment before giving a curt nod. "Ladies… escort our guests to the leader. Guys, we will scout forward."

Greenshade could hear a few of the males groan at hearing their assignment. She was rather gratified to see one of the males smack the nearest groaner. She ignored all that and moved towards the girls.

The three former defenders, now captives, appeared to be more at ease now that they were no longer surrounded by the specter of a fate worse than death. This ease was tempered, however, with the sight of nearly a dozen hidden runners behind them armed with spears. Only Penol seemed oddly unmoved by the proceedings. Her eyes were aimed forward as if focusing on something that only she could see.

Greenshade placed a hand on Penol's shoulder getting the girl's attention. "Wrok is most interested in meeting you."

It was only then that Penol's face showed fear.

* * *

 **bryan mccloud** : Thanks again for the detailed review. The last chapter was a true monster in terms of length (even after we took a portion of it and made it into its own side-story) and it was challenging to make it flow as a coherent narrative. I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the final product of our efforts, and we hope that you enjoy the latest installment as well.

 **Battlet0ad** : Thank you very much for the kind words and feedback. (: In many ways the focus of this story is indeed on the personal growth that we see in some of our favorite dinosaurs, and of course in the namesake of the story, Mender. Though Taunt does have a bit of a reputation to play nasty pranks on people (like immortalizing Mender as Mendsy among a certain tiny predatory species XD) he also is better at realizing when he shouldn't go beyond a certain line. Especially after previously crossing that line with Mender. I hope that you enjoy the latest installment, and don't worry, the Castor aspect of this storyline is going to show up soon.

 **Keijo6** : I am very pleased that you think that the tiny biters worked as a comic relief element to the story. Part of what we revised in the role play was their characterization and the ultimate resolution of their problems. You are quite right that Mender needed someone who she saw as more helpless than her in order for her to discover her own self-worth and to put things into perspective. Violet, even in the past elements of the story, is slowly becoming the Mender that we see in the present scenes. I realize that you are currently in the middle of a journey, but when you return I look forward to your thoughts on the latest chapter. (:

 **gordhanx** : Yep, Mendsy looks to be making an impression, especially in tiny biter society. d-; As for how Mender got her leadership qualities, well, she has had good teachers. Well, not Taunt obviously, but Seeker and Verant have made an impression on her. d-;

 **Thanks for the reviews, everyone! We hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter, and, as always, we look forward to your feedback.  
**


	30. Chapter 25: Departures

**-v-**

 **Well, it took us long enough but the next chapter is finally here! As usual the culprit for the delay has been my and Historian1912's respective work schedules, which have been chasing us like a fastbiter with an empty stomach. As always we look forward to your feedback. (:**

 **I also had a few specific questions that I wanted to pose to all of you:**

 **1) This is obviously a complex story with a lot of intrigue and numerous factions each with their own agendas, perspectives, and motivations. Is anyone having difficulty following the basic plot thus far, or would some kind of summary (I could do this in an in-universe manner as a separate mini-chapter of sorts - after all the rainbowfaces have been sending unseen reports back home) be helpful? If so, what aspects of the plot would you want the summary to focus upon?  
**

 **2) I am considering commissioning some additional art for this story, which would be posted to the Gang of Five forum. Are their any characters (besides Seeker's pack which I have already commissioned) that you would like to see artwork made for?**

 **3) Is there any aspect of the Seven Hunters/Mender's Tale universe that you would like to have me (either as a new story or just as a PM response) to provide additional explanation? If so then please let us know in the reviews.**

 **Thanks, everyone! We hope that you enjoy the new chapter and we look forward to hearing your thoughts! (:**

* * *

 **Chapter 25: Departures**

 ** _"_** ** _Both the best tragedies and the best comedies make masterful use of misdirection. In life, sadly, you don't know which you are in until the punch line."_**

 ** _~ Atani proverb_**

* * *

"Well, this is kind of shitty."

Mender wrinkled her sniffer at the language but resisted the urge to project a death glare at the hidden runner who had made the exclamation. First of all, this was Buse, and history told her that no amount of fear would cure him of his personality. And second… yeah, this was actually kind of shitty.

Orchid, for his part, looked around at each of his companions. First at Cynnil, the cautious pack leader. And then Buse, who had more feathers than tact. Then Mender, the healer that the valley needed most at the moment. And then finally…

 _I wonder if Mr. Murder Face has any ideas._

He quickly looked away from the fastbiter, however, before Verant _did_ get any ideas concerning a certain fastrunner.

"Why is nothing ever easy?" Verant wondered, staring at the surprisingly large rockslide up ahead, "Going over is going to be a problem, and going around could take a while."

"Seven days," Cynnil muttered as she examined the seemingly insurmountable accumulation of boulders and debris in front of them. It was as if someone had taken an entire mountain top and rained it down upon whatever lay below. "Seven days, if the journey of Seeker's pack after being changed is any indication."

Mender nodded as she recited part of the famous song, **" And the short way blocked, salvation lost, the long way beckons, and innocence the cost "**

 **"** **A journey to Hanging Rock of a day, now quashed, now a journey of seven and a morning, leaving the seven alone and lost** " Cynnil continued from the song of the Seven Hunters, still not shifting her gaze from the rocks in the distance.

Turning towards Verant, Mender briefly hesitated, as if unsure of herself in his presence. But then she spoke the words that were on her tongue. "I don't think the valley can afford us to take the long way. We need to find a way through."

Orchid stared at her. "Well, don't look at me. I am a fastrunner, not a fast-digger."

"Would you like to see if you actually are a _fast_ runner?" Verant asked Orchid.

Despite the situation Orchid couldn't help by give an exasperated sigh. "Let's save that for the hidden runner jerks near the valley."

It was then that he saw the pointed looks from Cynnil and Buse. "Uh… except for you two; you're alright."

 _I really should leave the talking to other people,_ Orchid chided himself.

Cynnil finally ended the charade and gave the fastrunner a bit of a smile. "Well, _this_ hidden runner jerk might have found a way up the rockslide."

"Oh, you've got to be joking," Verant said as he caught sight of what the hidden runner was seeing.

The rockslide had left larger chunks of the rock wall against a foundation of crumbling stone, leaving quite by happenstance the narrowest of the climbable paths into the air like partially vertical open-air caves. Small tunnels of misery leading up into the rocky expanse above and, hopefully, to the other side.

He was so preoccupied by the sight that he barely noticed the others tying vines to themselves as Orchid hesitantly, and only with Buse's nudge, went in front of Verant.

"Uh… Cynnil wants be to tie this around you. So please don't bite my head off," Upon seeing no change in Verant's glare he continued, "...or any other part."

Much to the fastrunner's relief Verant nodded and Orchid quickly went to work, typing it around his back in front of the hindlimbs and then around the front limbs, and then around the fastrunner himself. Leaving the fastbiter curious about what the purple food item was doing.

"We tie ourselves together so if one of us slips, the others can prevent them from falling all of the way," Mender affirmed as she tied Orchid's vine to her own and then checked for tightness.

"You didn't think I was stupid enough to recommend that we do this free-claw, did you?"

Verant looked at Cynnil as if she were truly insane. "How does tying ourselves together help?"

Cynnil tapped a claw against the ground. "Let's show 'em, Buse."

Orchid sat back against one of the fallen rocks as the display went along. He had already been through this in Mender's training program, so he knew what to expect.

For Verant, it was a fascinating exercise… and one that he had no idea how it would play out.

With more than a little effort Cynnil climbed up a small expanse of the fallen rock wall, her razor sharp claws serving as good anchors against the coarse rock, and then she did something odd.

She tied a bit of vine to a rock and then tied that to her vine.

The same ritual happened a moment later as she climbed up a few more rocks high before tying herself to a rock, and that was when Buse untied the first rock and threw the now freed vine to Cynnil.

"So we secure ourselves to the rocks as we go up," Cynnil affirmed as she stared at Verant from nearly six body-lengths up, "Now let go, Buse."

"Is she nuts?" Verant asked his sister, shocked at Cynnil's command.

Buse appeared to visibly cringe as he reluctantly let go, sending his body falling towards the ground for a few feet.

Until the tied vine stopped Buse's backwards progress, and with it, his fall. He barely had time to place his clawed hands in front of him to stop himself from smacking into the rock wall.

"Yeah, she's insane," Buse muttered as he stared at the rock wall that now pressed against his beak, "Are we done teaching the Big Guy, Cynnil?"

Cynnil rolled her eyes as she looked over the edge of the rock that held them up and began to strenuously pull up her counterpart until he could find a claw-grip again. "Enough talk. We have a valley to save. Make sure not to drop your partners, Orchid."

It was only then that Orchid's eyes went wide. They were going in two teams?

He barely had time to process this before Verant appeared in front of his beak.

"We'll be fine. I've done this several times without the vines," Verant said, trying to sound encouraging.

Orchid took a deep breath. _It's okay, Orchid. Not a problem at all. You just have to help a guy up a rockslide who would rather eat you any other day. So no need to panic. Wait… what?_

"You did this without vines?"

"Had to. Even had to climb cliffs a few times," Verant said before turning towards his sister, "Remember that one where you didn't panic until after we got to the top, Mender? I told you not to look down."

"I was trying to forget it," Mender said as she began to climb up the same path as Cynnil; intentionally not looking down.

As soon as it was Orchid's turn to follow the same path he turned back towards his companion. "I grew up in Hanging Rock, so we had to climb. I did not climb up too many cliffs, though. Dad called it a sure way to become a flat-runner."

"Oh, you wouldn't become flat if you fell. Unless a boulder then fell on you and crushed your bones to dust and the rest of you into mush," Mender said nonchalantly as she kept climbing, "What would happen would depend on how far you fell. You might get jarred if you jump too far. Higher up, you'd probably start cracking bones then possibly break them clean through or even impale yourself with your own limbs. Well, not quite impale, but by that point you're probably not going to care about that."

It was at this point that Verant became quite concerned for his counterpart as Orchid tied the vine around a rock twice just to make absolutely sure. Then he reluctantly continued his ascent to follow after Mender and her horrifying medical knowledge.

Verant did his best to copy what he'd seen earlier, untying the vine he reached and passed it up to Orchid.

Orchid's beak quivered as he forced himself up a particularly narrow opening through the almost vertical path. It was only once he was on flat rock again and within sight of the next vine-tied waypoint that he allowed himself to speak. "How… did you figure all of this out?"

Verant looked towards Mender, curious as to her answer.

Mender nodded before almost slipping and catching herself on a rocky outcropping, pulling herself back to a foothold with a noticeable grimace. "Well, there were these swimmers that killed one another over something. And I had an idea: I might have to fix fall injuries sometime. So let's see what stuff happens when things fall."

She tail-smiled and looked up at the distant duo of hidden runners. "Remember that, guys?"

Buse's tired voice echoed back. "It took us an entire morning to move them to the cliff!"

"So how'd you test the whole boulder thing?" Verant asked, curious.

Mender looked back momentarily and immediately regretted it as she resumed looking at the rock in front of her again. "Darn in, brother…" She composed herself as she reached for the next rock. "It took us awhile to push it, but eventually we dropped it on one of them that we dragged to the bottom. And then we cut them open to check the damage."

Orchid finally stopped beside a waypoint in exhaustion as he made sure the last tied vine was secure for the insane fastbiter just above him. It was then that he looked down at the advancing fastbiter. For once he did not look at Verant like he was the scarier of the two predators.

"Glad you asked?" Verant asked once he'd almost reached Orchid.

Orchid could only sigh as he redoubled his efforts to press ahead. _I didn't know that part of learning to heal people was to cut them open._

It was then that he heard the rock underneath him begin to crack.

"Verant, Brace!"

"Oh, not good," Verant said, sounding as if he were swearing.

Orchid practically threw himself on the tied boulder, using his own body weight to help hold it in place as the fastbiter became airborne from the loss of support under his feet. But that was when Orchid saw something that he did not know was possible.

Verant leapt at the wall, then pushed off of it, flinging himself over to where Orchid was.

It took a moment for Orchid to realize what was happening before he scampered over and helped pull the fastbiter firmly onto the large rock. It did not take long before each of them laid on the rock for a moment as if it were a welcome friend.

Mender was there in an instant.

"Are you alright?"

Orchid could only muffle an answer against the rock as Mender carefully examined him before turning all of her attention toward her brother. "I've never been so happy to see a rock in my life."

"I didn't think I'd have to do that again," Verant said, still breathing hard.

Mender looked up at the others. "They're alright!"

It only took a moment to receive an answer from their pack leader. "Good! You only have a little ways to the top of this ancestor-forsaken rock pile!"

Orchid couldn't help himself as he replied sarcastically. "Knowing our luck it will be clear running from there."

That was when a boulder landed mere feet from his face before impacting the ground many body-lengths below, resounding with a loud crash.

He was not surprised to see both of the fastbiters glaring at him.

 _Sigh… it's going to be one of those days. I hope whoever Spotter gives us as a guide has a cool head. Because there aren't any of them in this pack!_

* * *

"You want my mate to do what?"

 _In retrospect explaining this to Mrs. Guido first probably not good idea._

Petrie did his best to not appear menacing to the small female despite his much larger and predator form. He should have expected this result.

"It okay! Verant ally and mainly need help to make sure he safe."

The look that the miniscule green flyer gave him was vicious enough to almost make Petrie wince. "And what exactly is going to make sure that he is safe?"

"Spotter!"

Petrie took an audible breath. _Thank the ancestors._ "Guido, how are you?"

He barely had time to turn around when several feathered bodies began zooming around his head like large buzzers. It took him a moment to realize that they were diving at him and then retreating.

"Don't hurt Momma!"

"Away!"

Petrie closed his eyes in exasperation. "Guido, you did tell your kids about me, right?"

The aerial assault from the green balls of fluff promptly stopped as their mother gave them a curt squawk, causing them all to fall into line on the same branch that she and the 'threat' now occupied. That was when a somewhat embarrassed flyer landed beside him.

One that looked just like an adult version of the little attackers Petrie had just faced.

"Uh… yeah. But I told them your leaf-eater name."

Petrie blinked with embarrassment as he realized where this conversation was going. When his friend spoke in leaf-eater a moment later it confirmed his error.

"And… uh… they don't know sharptooth yet."

The sharptooth flyer could only shake his head as he spoke in a language the little ones could understand. **"Me am your father's friend. Me…"**

 **"** **Petrie!"** came the chorus of voices as the little flyers began to zoom around his head once more, this time without hostile intent. The screeching of their mother did little to abate their enthusiasm. Regardless of whatever else their father had told the little ones it was obvious that knowledge his speech impediment had made it through.

Petrie only had to look over at the exasperated female to confirm, just like his previous other ten trips since Guido had found a mate, that she far was less enthusiastic than her mate or the children. The death glare being directed at him with the intensity of a thousand Bright Circles was a clue to that.

 **"** **Petrie,"** The flyer confirmed needlessly as he laughed at the antics of the little balls of fluff, **"But all of you should listen to Mama. If Mama not happy, then no one happy."**

This finally broke the little flyers from their spell as they again settled down beside their mother in an orderly line that only could come from instinct. Though his own words served as a warning for him as well. He would not win Guido's cooperation without the consent of his other half.

* * *

Patrina only stopped glaring at Petrie to send her kids away to safety, assuming they stayed there. **"Alright, kids. Back to the tree hollow,"** she ordered, **"And don't leave until I tell you this time!"**

 **"** **Awww… Mom!"**

 **"** **We want to see Petrie!"**

Despite their vocal protests the little ones began to shuffle towards the hollow of the tree which served as their primary residence. It had been where their nest resided during their hatching season, and now it served as a place of safety from predators.

Like the one that stood before her.

"That is little Arbur… and that is Sama… there is Nobo... and the last one is Kumo… I told you about them last season, but it is amazing how fast they have grown," her mate was gushing to Petrie, "I… uh… maybe should have waited to tell them some of our stories though. Heh…"

"Now they try to repeat them themselves," Patrina said, "Nobo almost got eaten by tiny biters a few days ago trying to have an adventure." She glared at Petrie as if placing the entirety of the blame on him. _My mate telling stories is bad enough. If I let you add to them, they'll definitely end up getting eaten._

For his part, Petrie looked equal parts mortified and perplexed. "But… they can fly. How tiny biter almost catch them?"

Guido, mercifully enough, was the one to rub his head in embarrassment as he clarified that little misadventure. "Nobo… uh… wanted to try to find big ground fuzzies, just like Spike did that one time. So he flew into a tiny biter tunnel."

Petrie groaned audibly. "Never trade away advantage. Fate often not trade back."

"Without those stories he wouldn't have even thought to try that," Patrina said accusingly.

"It not Spotter's fault that we have so many stories," the flyer began before thinking about it for a moment, "Okay, sometimes it Spotter's fault, but it usually Seeker's fault."

Guido whispered at his friend in a voice that she could still audibly hear. "I don't think that helps things, Spotter."

"I don't care whose fault it is. Stop telling my kids new ways to get themselves eaten!" Patrina turned her glare towards Guido. "That goes for both of you."

This made both flyers look at one another as Petrie shrugged. "She have point. There reason why Soar sometime make me sing changed songs. So they only hear grown up songs when they are grown up."

"Once the kids start showing enough sense not to get themselves killed every time I'm not looking at them, then they can hear crazy stories," Patrina said, relenting a bit, "Until then..."

Guido, seeing a path out of a further tongue-lashing, quickly nodded furiously at this. **"Of course, dear. No more crazy stories until they are fledged."**

 **"** **Awww!"** came an audible protest from the hole in the tree as a pair of eyes quickly disappeared into its depths as Patrina turned her head to see who had been eavesdropping.

 **"** **Arbur, what are you doing outside of the tree hollow?"** Patrina snapped, quickly flying up to her child's hiding spot.

It took a few seconds but eventually a familiar green beak appeared from the darkness as Arbur peeked over the threshold of the hole. In the back of the cavity, giving one another looks as they contemplated their brother's coming tongue-lashing, stood his two sisters and brother. With quiet whispers passing between them.

 **"** **Awww, mom. I was just looking outside is all. My body was still in here."** He looked away for a moment. **"Well, most of it."**

 **"** **And now you can be seen and grabbed by predators,"** Patrina replied, **"Predators that will then come back and eat your siblings."** She nodded over at Petrie.

 **"** **Aww, Mom. I would know better than to be seen. I have reflexes of…"**

It was at that moment that Guido half-landed, half-slammed into the tree right next to his son, sending him barrelling into the back of the hole with his siblings.

 **"** **...lunch,"** Guido finished for him, **"It only takes one mistake for everything to end."**

 _Thank you, Guido,_ Patrina thought, happy to have the well-timed backup, _They've got to learn that the rules exist for a reason._ "And that was from someone you could see," she added, "What do you think would happen with a predator that was trying to _not_ be seen."

That was when she heard a cough.

Patrina turned around to see a rustling in the bushes some distance away. She could barely make out Petrie, and she already had a good idea he was there to begin with. **"Kids, can you find Petrie?"** she asked once the rustling stopped.

There was a moment's hesitation before the four little bodies made it to the threshold of the opening. She quickly raised a wing to prevent them from going any further. Now being prevented from venturing further they stretched their necks in their search for the large predator. She could guess what they were thinking: how hard can it be to spot something as large as Petrie?

But as the seconds went by no one spoke a word. He was unseen to their untrained eyes.

 **"** **Petrie, please show yourself,"** Patrina called.

The response was as immediate as it was horrifying as the predator burst from the bushes like a belly-dragger from the water, letting out a loud screech which sent the children barrelling into the hole once more.

 **"** **This why you be careful. And listen to Mama."**

Patrina gave Petrie a grateful nod. **"Now are you going listen when we tell you to stay in the tree hollow?"** she asked her kids.

She was greeted by rapid nods before they choked out rather quiet refrains of "Yes, Mom", all the while hoping that today's lesson was over.

Thankfully Guido was there to save the day. **"Alright, kids, I think that is enough of a lesson for today. How about you work on your leaf-eater lessons? Everyone remember today's word?"**

 **"** **Swarming leaf-gobbers."** came a reply before Kumo sighed, **"Swarming leeaf-gobblers."**

Petrie gave Guido a knowing nod, seeing that he had given the kids something else to focus on. Taking this as his cue, he landed back on the original branch, awaiting the others.

It was then that Patrina felt a light nuzzle against her shoulder. **"They'll be fine. I'm sure nothing will try to get them while Spotter is here."**

 **"** **I hope you're right."** Patrina paused to think for a moment. **"Would you keep an eye on the kids? I've got to ask Spotter something."**

Guido hesitated a moment, obviously wanting to catch up with his old friend, but relented and gave his mate an understanding nod. "Sure, dear."

Patrina flew over to Petrie's branch, keeping a bit of distance between herself and the larger flyer. "So what exactly did you want my mate to help you with again?"

The predator that had moments before seemed on top of his element and ferocious now looked like a chastised fledgling as he rubbed his crest awkwardly. "Well… Spotter never get him into too much trouble…"

"That's what you said when you wanted his help spying on some dinosaurs and had him hide in a hidden runner's feathers until they got to the right tree," Patrina retorted, "Then there's the time you had him help look for smaller threats for your pack..."

"Okay, okay, so sometimes it sound bad. But it was never bad…"

"Then there's the time you talked him into helping your kids learn how to chase other flyers by acting as the prey," Patrina said angrily. _The others are almost understandable in some way, even if they're crazy, but I don't know whether to be angrier at Spotter for asking or Guido for agreeing to that one._

This finally made Petrie look down in defeat as it appeared some part of his defenses finally left him. "Me have to train them with small flyers, and he only one me friends with."

"So what do you need Guido for this time?" Patrina asked again, returning them to the reason for their discussion.

The predator took a deep breath. "It a very odd situation, but we not be able to use big flyers. If big flyers used then bad hidden runners make valley sick. But if we use small flyer then it can help Verant keep bad hidden runners from sneaking up on him."

"So who and _what_ is Verant?" Patrina asked.

Petrie said four words as if they summarized everything. "He brother of Mender."

"So he's a fastbiter. What's he like?"

Petrie paused for a moment as he contemplated the right words. "He loyal to friends of Seeker and is very protective of his children." He gave an audible growl as he appeared to stare at something in the distance that only he could see. "Bad hidden runner hurt his kid. Now he hurt them back."

"So he won't eat Guido, then?" Patrina asked, her tone making it clear that the wrong answer would mean Petrie wouldn't be getting any help at all.

The stare that Petrie gave her back was one that would have chilled a threehorn. "Not if he want to live. There some things Spotter not forgive even if pack ordered it. No one hurt friends will live long."

"That's not very reassuring," Patrina replied, still skeptical.

"Verant has proven loyalty to us, and we to him. No harm will come to Guido from him. Spotter never forgive himself if it did."

"I'll hold you to it. Make sure he gets back safely."

It was then that she saw the predatory flyer do something most odd to her microraptor sensibilities. He bowed low and then bared his neck as if offering it.

"He will return with his neck or me shall lose mine."

 _I guess there's more to know about Spotter's kind than I thought,_ Patrina thought, confused by Petrie's action, _I guess that means he's serious about this._

"Spotter, if Guido helps you now, I want this to be the last time for awhile," Patrina said, "I want him to be around to help teach the kids, not just give them stories they really shouldn't be following."

Petrie nodded. "Me understand. This why Spotter not be here during their nesting and only go to tree when you say. Me not ask this if there be any other way." He looked at the tree awkwardly. "Me not see kids really until they speak. Guido get lucky that way. Most flyers of my kind do not know fathers."

"That's just crazy. How do their moms take care of their kids by themselves?"

Petrie sighed at this. "With difficulty. Me try to fight instinct and be with mate, but she chase Spotter away. But… it our way. It was also Spotter's old kind's way. But me glad to be papa now that kids are at safe age." He looked back at her. "Me not want that taken away from me, and me not get that taken away from you."

"Thank you. Keep my mate safe." She gestured towards where Guido and the kids were. "Shall we go tell him what he's going to be doing?"

Petrie appeared relieved as he nodded at the female. "Just make sure kids don't hear. Me not want them to get crazy ideas."

"We should make sure everyone's still in the tree when we discuss this," Patrina said, "After all, nothing bad can happen while they're in the tree."

* * *

 **Meanwhile...**

"Pounce! Get down from that tree this instant!"

Staza couldn't help but stare in mute horror at just how high the young fastbiter had climbed. Against the blue sky and distant clouds he was but a small dot of orange fluff, shifting in the air as the tree was blown by the heavy winds. That was when she noticed something in the tree adjacent to them.

"It's okay, Dad!" Pounce's voice wavered in the distance, "The flyers can catch me if I fall!"

 _You better hope so,_ Staza thought, glancing over at Petrie's kids sitting in the next tree, _There won't be much left of you if they fail._

"Son, Spotter's kids couldn't catch your shits! They're too small! Now get down from there before I have to tell your mother why you are flat!"

"No, Dad, my friend Viando is here!"

Staza glanced around the treetops until she spotted a large flyer one tree over.

"The dead meat eater! You had better hope he is fast because otherwise he might have lunch! Now climb back down! Why are you up there, anyway?"

Only now the orange fuzzball began to climb down. "Because Ambush and Sprint bet that I was too much of a scaredy egg to do it!"

Taunt looked panicked now. "And where are they?"

There was a pregnant paused before the orange juvenile answered. "Well, I bet that they were too much of an egg to get past Nahoda's traps."

Taunt could only groan. "So that's why your mother found them stuck against that darn tree of his."

Staza forced herself to not say anything she might regret, having made it clear that none of her own kids were allowed anywhere near either of the fastrunners' nests. _Not my kids. Not my job to correct them._

That was when she noticed the sound of soft footsteps as another green fastbiter walked towards her with her mate following from a distance. It was Ducky and Leap.

"Don't be too concerned; they are like this all the time," Ducky watched as Pounce continued his trek down the tree. "Reminds me of us as kids."

"This is why you should not have told them all of your songs until they were older," Leap deadpanned as he accepted a playful nudge in the ribs. Seeing the fuzzball high above he shook his head. "At least they are good at planning before they do stupid stuff. Pounce always makes sure some of the allied flyers are here before he free climbs."

"So his parents know exactly when and how he died?" Staza asked, unable to keep herself quiet any longer.

"He will be grounded to the nest for this," Taunt muttered before allowing a sigh to leave his mouth, "I've told them before to leave the dominance shit for the sparring circle. Dominance is not worth a child dying over. If Stern Claw sees this..."

"Pounce!"

Taunt looked up knowingly as a distant 'uh oh' could be heard on the branches above. The family's disciplinarian had arrived.

"I think that's our cue to leave," Ducky whispered as she began to walk in the direction of Nahoda and Arial's ultra-protected tree.

"Are they all this reckless?" Staza asked quietly once they were a bit further away.

There was a pause before Ducky sighed. "Only when they begin daring one another. Biter, Swipe, Pounce, and Ambush are the worst about this as they are constantly pushing to be the 'top little biter' of the pack. So they keep on getting into trouble, yep, yep, yep!"

Leap cocked his tail into a half-smile before turning towards Staza. Despite the years that had passed to resolve their complicated past things would always be a bit awkward. "Thankfully our kids are glad to be delightfully average in the rankings."

"I don't know if it was because they were surrounded by hidden runners, but my kids don't try change their rankings too much," Staza said, "Gyors and Sana sorta took charge early on, and the others just fell in behind them. I guess having a defined 'us' and 'them' made them work more as a team."

Ducky nodded. "Our daughter, Dodger, tends to fall into that role, but it is different when many different families are in the pack. Then egos tend to take over."

Staza gave Ducky a surprised look. "You..." She glanced between Ducky and Leap. "Wha..."

For a moment Leap was concerned that they had insulted her before Ducky tail-smiled at her. "It was Leap's idea. We honored Leap's fallen brother, Verok, by naming one of our sons after him. We honored my Aunt Tranquil. We named Fisher that because he loves fish. We named Aqua that because she loves water… and we named Dodger in honor of the two who showed us second chances are possible."

Ducky and Leap stood side by side as they watched Staza's reaction. It was both a show of support and a show that the gesture represented both of their ideas.

Staza nodded in thanks, unsure of any better way to respond. "I want to show you two something," she said after a moment.

Ducky and Leap shared a look before they nodded and followed the fastbiter towards the direction of lookout hill, where a certain purple sharptooth was lounging sleepily.

* * *

Ducky followed close behind the green fastbiter as she slowly progressed up the hill. Despite its steepness it did not take long for them to arrive at its summit, merely earning an annoyed snort from the sleeping two-footer before he resumed his snoring.

"This looks kinda familiar," Staza said, looking down at the kids playing in the field below, "Not sure what they're playing, though."

Ducky stepped forward and watched the antics down below. All of Staza and Verant's kids, even Gyors, were on one side, whereas an assembly of the other fastbiters was on the other side. In the middle, on the other hand, was a rotten swimmer head.

"Looks like Catch the Head," Ducky noted, "We tell the kids to play it by tag only, no biting or tackling. We don't want them to get too hurt, nope, nope, nope!"

"This game again?" Staza asked, "Please be careful."

As if on cue the two sides ran for the head as Gyors moved ahead of the pack on his end and Biter did the same on his, setting them up for imminent collision.

…only for Swipe to move up front at the last moment and knock the head over Gyor's moving line and into enemy territory. As if in unison the two lines merged and began pushing and shoving to get closer to the head, which was now rolling especially close to the hole… where a green fastbiter was waiting. She promptly grabbed the head and began to move it up the field, away from the immediate risk of a goal.

Gyors shouted something the adults couldn't quite make out, and two of his siblings moved to intercept the small fastbiter before she made it any further. Grunting in annoyance she hurled the head towards her comrades before returning to guard her team's goal.

Ducky watched this with interest. _So Gyors is leading his packlings… interesting. Though I expect that from our Dodger._

"Looks like your son stopped our Dodger from making a run at the goal," Leap noted with interest. "That is some good coordination."

"That's how we taught them. You survive by working as a team. The two that went after Dodger were Portum and Lula. Sana's over there guarding the goal..." Staza said, pointing at each of her kids as she named them.

Ducky nodded as she followed along. _Portum and Lula are hidden runner names… interesting. Sana, though, is not a dialect that I am familiar with. Maybe mountain pack? They certainly have organization, but do they have innovation?_

As if on cue the head bounced in front of Biter as he proceeded to claw the earth, as if he were about to charge at the head and send it straight towards the goal.

Ducky tail-smiled. "A ruse."

Leap nodded. "The ol' swipe and attack."

"Might work if they weren't telling the other team what they were going to do," Staza said.

As if on cue Gyors packmates focused their attention on the two wings of the other pack, seeing the ploy for what it was. Only Gyors remained in the center to guard against a direct attack.

 _And here comes the backup plan._

Biter hurled the head into the air, aiming for a spot behind Gyors where his bad eye could have seen the assault coming. He was using his weakness against him.

Only for the head to be caught by Ungu, who had been spending the entire game keeping an eye on her brother's blind side.

"Now this is no surprise," Ducky noted with a tail-smile, "She's had his back since he has been with us."

"She volunteered to go with Gyors just so he wouldn't be alone," Staza said, "I don't know where she gets it sometimes. Most of the time its like she's trying to make herself not be noticed."

Ducky looked at Staza knowingly. "Remind you of someone? I can think of a certain healer right now."

"Sorta. I just can't figure out _why_ ," Staza said frustratedly, "She'd tell me if something was wrong. Wouldn't she?"

She was greeted by a sudden silence which spoke volumes as Leap turned towards his mate. The hesitation of his mate said all that he needed to know.

"I can go if…"

Ducky waved him off. "No. Because what Staza needs to know is not shameful, nope, nope, nope." She turned towards Staza before delivering the news.

Staza's face shifted through several emotions, from shock to hurt to concern. "What's wrong with Ungu?"

 _Here we go. Nerves do not fail me now, nope, nope, nope._ "Nothing that Mender did not thrive with, and Ungu's case is much more minor. It is, it is. She can still smell, but she has trouble telling smells apart."

* * *

"WHAT?" Staza practically shrieked, shocked that her daughter had apparently somehow hidden a severe problem similar to Mender's well enough that she hadn't noticed. _How?_ she wondered, feeling hurt, _Why didn't she trust me?_

As if sensing that she had miscalculated the situation, Ducky put her hands up in a placative gesture as she bowed her head apologetically. "It is okay, Staza, it is, it is. She already is doing better with sniffer practice."

Leap, meanwhile, looked as awkward as a constipated two-footer as he did his best to replicate his mate's placative gesture, obviously, just like everyone else, wishing to be anywhere else at that very moment.

Staza forced herself to calm down at least enough to avoid another outburst. "Why did she tell _you_ but hide it from _me_?" she finally asked.

Ducky's expression did not change. "Ungu is very determined to be a useful packmate. So what is the one thing that someone like that would not want to show?"

Staza just stared at Ducky, realizing where she was going with the question.

Staza jerked slightly when Ducky put a comforting claw against her shoulder. "Especially if she did not know about her Aunt Mender's little problem?"

"I know," Staza said, almost snapping in frustration, "How could she hide it so well, though? I knew _something_ was a bit off with Mender from the moment I met her. Of course, I just thought it was because she was a jerk, but..."

"...but Ugnu could smell. She just could not tell smells apart well. That is easier to hide especially if there is a little Verant ready to play pack leader all the time," Ducky clarified, "But now she can tell bodies apart. We were working on emotion smells when you all arrived."

"How'd you get her to tell you all this? You just met her." Staza just couldn't figure that out.

"It was Breeze that noticed it. Ungu mentioned she was bad at a game, and Breeze later went to talk to her about it," Ducky noted, "...I guess it came out after that."

"Did you mention Mender?" Staza asked, "She didn't want us to tell anyone, so we didn't."

Ducky rubbed her head crest awkwardly before answering. Now it was her turn to be in the hotspot. "Um… Breeze and Mender already had a chat about that."

"Why did Breeze tell her?" Staza asked. _Why betray your friend's trust like that?_

Ducky took a deep breath as she closed her eyes and looked down. "Ungu was convinced that she was not going to be accepted by any pack. So Breeze felt that she had no choice…"

 _"They can't know!" Ungu practically shrieked in panic, "They'd be so disappointed. What good is being fast if you can't find what you're running after?" All of Ungu's siblings, as well as Ungu herself, tried to stand out, to be good at something. To stand out from your many siblings for the wrong reasons, though…_

 _"We all have strengths and weaknesses, Ungu. A good packmate helps to share their strengths with others and allows others to help address their weaknesses." Breeze nudged her again. "A pack is more than each of its individuals. It is like a body. And a body can only be healthy when all of its parts work together."_

 _"No pack's gonna want me," Ungu said with a sigh, "No one tries to be sick." A thought suddenly occurred to her. "Is that smell-blind friend of yours even real?" she asked, suddenly a bit suspicious._ It can't be as easy as she makes it sounds. I tried. Nothing ever got better.

 _Breeze closed her eyes._ Please forgive me for this, Mender, but we can't have her doubting now.

 _"You can ask your Aunt Mender about that. She seems real enough to me."_

"...when Ungu gets an idea into her head it can be hard to talk her out of it," Ducky noted as she ended her recitation of what Breeze told her, "Like a certain other fastbiter we used to have as a packmate. Mender was upset but understood. The rainbowfaces told us that the first rule of healing is to do no harm."

"What do you mean by that?" Staza asked, confused.

She was surprised when Leap answered from behind Ducky. "Ungu had to know that there was hope for her, otherwise Breeze would have done lasting harm."

Ducky nodded. "It was a hard decision, which is why Breeze told me about it before telling Mender."

"I just wish Ungu would have just said something," Staza said, not bothering to hide the hurt in her voice, "What did I do wrong that she didn't trust me?"

"She did not want to disappoint you. It is the same reason Gyors wanted to act tough even when he was in pain," Ducky noted.

Staza sighed in frustration. _I'd love to know how I gave her that impression._

Seeing Staza's reaction, Ducky gestured at the game in the field below. "We are both mothers to wonderful children, Staza, but there is one thing that I have learned over the seasons: sometimes you just have to give them a chance to come clean to you and they will."

Leap interjected. "That is how Taunt's kids get caught half of the time."

His mate gave him a playful glare. "Thanks, dear."

"I never told them not say anything," Staza said slowly. _Why did Ungu think I would be disappointed?_

"Whoa!"

"Are you two alright?"

Staza's attention immediately snapped down towards the game. _Uh oh._ She started rushing down to the field at almost the same time Ducky did, only slowing down when she saw that Portum had the situation under control and that no one was panicking.

"Urgh… I'm alright. Just got knocked into the hole," Swipe muttered as she shook dust from her bright feathers.

"Since I knocked you in there does that mean we have a goal?" Gyors joked as he rubbed his snout, which had impacted the ground, "After all, you have a head."

Biter snorted at the joke, earning him a glare from his sister as the head was tossed towards Ungu, who barely caught it in time.

"Free toss since I tackled," Swipe finally muttered as she took position some distance from the hole. Each of the teams lined up on either side of the goal, leaving the two biters facing one another one on one.

 _Glad everyone is okay,_ Staza thought, doing a quick once-over of her own children, _If they're starting to play again, they're fine._

But that was when she focused on the placement of the two children, Littlefoot's daughter and her own while the two 'play packs' watched on either side. It was as if they were about to spar.

"What's going on?" Staza asked Ducky, having not seen this situation before.

Leap watched the game intensely. "A free toss since Swipe accidently went beyond a tag. Now it is just her and Ungu."

"Okay..." Staza said nervously. She knew Ungu was fast, but she was also the smallest of her children. _Please be careful._

Ungu took off to her right, pushing herself to gain as much speed as possible. Swipe, for her part, replicated the maneuver, but not to the same extent in case Ungu was planning on her overcorrecting. The usual insults and banter between the packs suddenly became silent as the two competitors approached the midpoint, risking another collision.

Right before two would have collided, Ungu instantly changed her direction. Swipe, seeing a chance, put on a burst of speed to catch Ungu only to have the younger fastbiter change directions yet again, causing her to overshoot her target by quite a bit.

That was all the opportunity that Ungu needed as she dropped the head and slammed her body into it, sending a torrent of mud in the direction of her packmates. As such it took them a few seconds to realize what happened.

"Goal!"

"Well done, Ungu!" Staza called out, proud of her daughter's success. _I guess I haven't been very good at letting her know how proud I am of her. I guess now's a good a time as any._

Ungu froze for a moment as she turned in the direction of the voice, a feat that was somewhat difficult with her teammates dancing around her in victory. But when she finally did see the imposing figure of her mother she gave a respectful bow that was both prideful and indicated some measure of embarrassment.

"Alright, don't get your hopes up yet! We have plenty more points to go!" Biter jeered while at the same time giving Ungu a respectful nod.

 _Hmm... looks like Ungu made a friend,_ Staza thought, noticing the interaction between her daughter and Biter.

"Yeah, four more points for us to wipe that smile off your tail!" Gyors replied.

"Ha!" Nibble taunted. "We will see about that! It's our chance to begin this time…"

"Don't trip over it this time!" Sniffer muttered as he nudged his brother.

"Hey, you're supposed to be on my side!"

Staza was nearly startled when she felt Ducky's light nudge on her shoulder. "We should probably get out of the play area before they use us as obstacles in the game."

"That's never stopped my kids before," Staza replied, but she did get out of the way rather quickly.

Ducky chuckled. "Same here. There was a five day grudge match between Seeker's and Taunt's kids because of one of them making a goal after climbing over Finder. We had to watch the spars closely."

 _"_ _Portum, I'm going to be right over here with Haven,"_ Staza told her daughter in hidden runner as she passed her, gesturing to her destination. Portum nodded before rushing to rejoin her siblings.

This made Ducky look at Staza oddly. "Hidden runner… so you know their dialect?"

"I would hope so. We lived with one of their packs for years," Staza replied.

Ducky snorted. "We learned a bit when Cynnil was our captive, we did, we did, but their tongue has a tone for everything. Their words shift like the sand."

"I haven't told the kids that story yet," Staza said, "Probably not too surprising, but the kids can speak hidden runner better than I can."

Her counterpart chuckled at this. "I did notice that you said her name twice, you did, you did."

"I, um, didn't," Staza replied, feeling a bit awkward.

This made Ducky stop where she was as she turned towards her friend. Her head tilt was enough to ask for clarification.

"Its a bad habit of mine. Since my name means the same in sharptooth and hidden runner, I translated it when telling some of my stories to the hidden runners, and I guess I got used to translating everyone's."

Ducky blinked. "So her name is a hidden runner name…makes sense since Portum is not a name I recognize. What does it mean in sharptooth?"

"Haven."

* * *

Ducky froze. _She named… her name... Oh._

Her friend's face now filled much of her focused vision as Staza's tail twitched uncertainly at the affirmation she had just given. For Ducky, however, the reality of the situation hit her immediately. It seemed that she was not the only one who had given a friend the supreme honor of a naming. Not wishing to prolong Staza's uncertain angst, Ducky quickly bowed low in gratitude at the gesture.

"You honor my mate," Ducky heard from somewhere behind her as her peripheral vision caught him making the same gesture.

Staza returned the gesture. "You both honored me and my mate, and we have honored you. After all, what would have become of us otherwise?"

Ducky took a deep breath at that as she tried to maintain her composure. She only spoke once she had received a supportive nudge from her mate. "I am honored! This is quite the surprise, it is, it is."

Staza took a moment to steady herself. "Since Verant and I nearly made it to adulthood without receiving pack names, we waited until we could give them names that would match them."

 _That is the best way, yep, yep, yep._

Staza glanced back towards where the kids were still playing out of habit. "Portum had a habit of checking up on everyone even when she was little, even if they were just feeling down. She's also keeps trying to hunt in the water. I don't think she's figured out fish are faster than she is."

"I guess I'm lucky you didn't name her 'swimmer eater', swimmer me would have been worried, yep, yep, yep!" Ducky turner her head to look towards her namesake again before cocking her tail at Staza in a playful manner. "I could have still outswam her."

"Oh, here we go..." Leap's voice droned in the background before he was greeted by a gentle slap of Duck's tail on his snout. A response that merely earned her an eye roll.

Leap looked at a confused Staza with an expression that was more reminiscent of Taunt than his own. "The one thing that she acts like Stern Claw on is her swimming ability. Now you know she is going to have to give Portum swimming lessons just to show who is the best swimmer."

Having finally stepped out of the playing area, Ducky took the lead in stopping and looking back towards the playing field. "Joking aside, I can show her some tricks. Swimmers often do the same things, and that makes them predictable."

"I think she'd like that," Staza replied.

"I guess we all need to learn to be more honest about things. None of us would have known any of this if we had not had loose beaks, nope, nope, nope!" Ducky noted as she turned back towards the game in the distance, her focus on her namesake and also on Ungu's sprinting form on the field. She pointed at her with a sigh. "Ungu will not be happy with us."

"I wish she'd said something a lot sooner," Staza said.

Ducky sighed before patting her friend on the back. "Well, better late than never. Taunt's kids need to learn that pride comes before the fall… your kids need to learn that it is okay to be honest about problems…"

As soon as she turned around she groaned. "...and my kids need to learn not to rush Gyors from all directions."

"Yeah, that's got to hurt," Staza said, having seen her son jump to avoid the attacks, leaving Ducky's kids groaning in a very uncomfortable pile.

"Goal!" came the distant yell of a rather familiar face as the pack's children let out groans and reluctant foot stomps of applause. Portum had made the final goal.

Ducky gave her friend a knowing glance. "It looks like I have some egos to heal!"

"Have fun with that," Staza said jokingly before turning serious, "Ungu?"

As several shaken children began to half-jump, half-stumble up Ducky's feathers, she gave Staza and Ugnu a final look. _Staza, you are so nervous that Mender could smell it. I am sure this conversation will go just fine. Yep, yep, yep!_

* * *

 **The Great Valley:**

"So let me make sure that I have this straight. You want us to leave this valley, a relatively safe land which satisfied all of our needs, and then go into the Boiling Mud Pits, a place where we might be boiled alive… because of a neat flower that Dmitri the Flyer told you about?"

Datum's expression was somewhere between that of a stern lecturer and a bemused parent as his feathered body stood steadfast against the windstorm, his arms firmly planted against his hips. Opposite to him stood his friends; Sauria the longneck, Charger the now one-eyed threehorn, Malka the swimmer, and Tricia, the elder of the group. And, as the sudden landing of a flyer on his back confirmed, also Flip the flyer who did not understand the concept of personal space.

Charger did the closest thing that a threehorn could make to a shrug. "Yeah."

"It sounds like a good idea to me," Malka retorted, though her voice gave away some new uncertainty.

"It isn't the craziest thing that we have done," Tricia protested, "And besides we can use that log thing that we used when we got the Night Flowers for Mr. Swimmer."

"That is not something to be shown in the valley! It's a…"

Datum turned towards his sister whose voice suddenly echoed in the cave. Flip's mockery was what answered the incomplete condemnation.

"Cultural contamination… our puny minds cannot handle the power, yada, yada, yada."

Flip almost looked surprised when the beaked face of his 'ride' and Axiom's harsh glare greeted his small flyer body at the same time. He wisely took that as the hint to retreat to the safety of Tricia's back.

An awkward silence fell over the group for a few moments before Flip launched himself off of his new sanctuary. "I could fly there and see if it exists!"

The reactions of the group would have made any adult descend into laughter as both of the young threehorns cringed, Malka facepalmed, and the rainbowfaces rubbed their beaks in annoyance. Why hadn't anyone thought of that before they argued about it for the better part of the morning?

"So um… I guess once you get done doing that we all can play a game of Pinecone?" Tricia finally broke the awkward silence with feigned initiative.

"I take it that we should be on opposing teams to protect the egos of the little ones?" Charger hald-taunted, half-agreed.

"And we should be on opposing teams, sister, so that both teams have a brain," Datum offered in response. He convinced himself later that his retreat from Charger's mock charge was mere prudence and not cowardice.

"This is the pinecone game, not smash the weirdo!" Malka protested with feigned concern as she moved towards one of the sides that had formed. It looked like she, Axiom, and Charger would form one team, with the remainder making up the competition.

That was when the footsteps of a longneck could be heard. Like the echoes of distant thunderclaps their appearance was impossible to ignore, but unlike nature's boastful roars these footsteps were steady and even. Once the towering neck appeared over the trees like a massive snake the group knew that their fun had somehow been ruined by the usual suspects.

What had they done now?

"Children, aren't you forgetting something?" Bron's amused voice spoke in something between chiding and mockery.

"We already cleaned our nests!" Flip offered before looking at the others, "Well, I have."

"I haven't beaten up any of the arrogant jerks in my herd today," Tricia noted as if it were a mild disappointment.

Bron laughed, causing the ground to vibrate with each breath.

"Children, Chronos and Logos are gone, but did you think that meant that you didn't have Lessons today?"

The chorus of groans was nearly universal, with only the two rainbowfaces restraining that impulse with the only impulse that rivaled its power. Curiosity.

"Who is going to teach us today, Mr. Longneck?" Axiom asked.

"And what is the subject?" Datum added.

Bron smiled. "Pterano would like to tell you all the story of Pterano and the two liars: or why not everyone is as they seem."

"The title is a bit redundant, isn't it?" Tricia muttered before a shadow appeared from behind her, causing her to look at the rest of the gang. "He's behind me, isn't he?"

"I keep my lies to a minimum, dear threehorn, but, yes, your criticism is valid for those days. But perhaps you will spare this flyer some room for his ego."

She turned just in time to see the flyer take a modest bow. "And before you ask, yes it can fit into a small story. A tight fit, but I shall manage."

Tricia groaned at the self-deprecating joke but allowed the flyer to win the round as she proceeded to join the others into a makeshift story circle. In their haste to get into position none of the children noticed the final look that Bron and Pterano gave one another as the longneck went off to his other duties. A knowing look.

They both knew that the lessons of this tale was all too relevant in these dark days.

* * *

 **Outside the valley:**

"So, um, uh, you're Mender's brother, right? She helped me once when I had lost some feathers."

"You seem fine to me," Verant said, only half listening.

The little flyer looked around in a frenzy, suddenly seeing spears everywhere as his imagination got the best of him. His mate's lecture on getting home safe despite the multitude of horrors that awaited him was something that would have frightened the most level-headed of flyers.

"Uh… well, it happened when I tried to get this tasty buzzer that was on a leaf. But then it turned out that it wasn't a leaf, but a really small swimmer! At least the mother was nice enough to put me back into the air." Guido rubbed his tail feathers as if remembering an unpleasant memory, "She could have used something other than her foot, though."

 _You're lucky you didn't run into something hungry,_ Verant thought, _Are you sure you're up to this? We're actually looking for trouble. Well, I am. Hopefully I'll be the one causing the trouble._ His mental ramblings halted when he realized Guido was still talking.

"...it was really kind of awkward, though, heh, because Mender did not know about the swimmer and thought that I had some kind of mating infection with a flyer. And then I told her a flyer did not do this, a swimmer did. She seemed confused for some reason."

Verant looked at Guido awkwardly, slightly interested and disgusted at the same time. "I can imagine why."

Guido finished his tale. "She removed two of the feathers that were growing wrong and told me not to go messing with swimmers anymore. That was good advice, heh." He then looked around awkwardly. "Um… when are we supposed to be close to the bad hidden runners?"

"If you can't figure that out you'll find out when you're being crushed in their jaws," Verant replied. _What part of_ hidden _runners is not clear?_

He was rewarded for his commentary by having the flyer move around frantically, as if he was searching in every possible direction. On the bright side it did make the awkward chatter end for several seconds.

 _Well, at least he's_ trying _to be useful,_ Verant thought, _I'm not sure what use Spotter thinks he can be, though, except maybe as bait. I'm not sure he even can even hold still._

Two firm thumps of Guido's feet against his hide made Verant stop in his tracks. The voice that greeted him was an odd mockery of what had come before as the same off-putting tone was expressed with an odd monotone. "Movement. Bush to left."

Verant didn't respond verbally but instead turned towards the movement before moving further left to keep himself downwind, first moving quickly before gradually slowing down and disappearing into the foliage.

"Movement behind us."

 _Probably an ambush,_ Verant thought. "Try to see him then distract. I'll take care of the other one."

"I am only a glider!" he practically squawked in the softest of voices, before hesitating, "Give me a moment!" And just like that the little green ball of feathers began to shimmy up the tree that was just at Verant's right side.

Verant continued forward, focusing in on the target roughly in front of him. _Time to make things a little fairer. He smells pretty close._

"Uh… there is a lot of them. Wow. You were right about them blending in good."

 _There's about to be one less,_ Verant thought, lunging at his target. The hidden runner went down with a sickening crack as Verant's teeth crushed the runner's neck..

"Behind you!"

Verant released the dead hidden runner and quickly spun around to face the new threat. _Bit more warning next time, Guido._

"Wait!" the hidden runner exclaimed as he held up his hands in a placative gesture.

Verant halted, surprised, but kept his focus on the hidden runner. _Well, that's unexpected._

The hidden runner appeared to not believe his luck as he froze in place. "Everyone, stop!"

 _This is getting stranger and stranger,_ Verant thought, straining his senses to keep track of the hidden runners around him.

"They are stopping." Guido's voice confirmed, suddenly shaky. "All four of them."

Internally Verant relaxed, though his posture said otherwise.

The hidden runner looked down at his fallen comrade as the wide vacant eyes of death stared back at him. "All five of us. His name was Quanto."

"Quanto has completed his last run," came the voice of one of his counterparts as a feminine voice joined the chorus.

 _What is going on?_ Verant thought. He took a closer look at the hidden runners. _None of them have spears... Wha... oh, this isn't good._

"Sir, should we retreat?" a hidden runner's voice asked from the bushes.

The presumed leader of the hidden runners kept his hands up as he snapped his beak. "Not before I find out why we were sent out here to attack one of our own!"

 _What?_ Verant couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Uh… I'm confused," came Guido's voice from the tree, for once speaking for both of them.

"You're Verant, right?" The hidden runner gave him a long sniff as if the corpse beside them no longer existed. "Yes, yes, I remember that scent. You were the one I remember protecting the pack of the Western River. Why did you betray us? Why did you abandon the pack of the river?"

"Sir, should we…"

The hidden runner snapped his beak once more. "Not until I get an answer! If it comes to that I will do it myself!"

Verant backed up slightly, almost imperceptibly, to give himself just a bit more room in case of an attack. "What idiot told you that?" Verant snapped in reply, "And what are you sneaky little... what are you doing here?"

"We…" the hidden runner gestured at the others, seemingly oblivious to the danger in Verant's voice, "...are here to alert the valley at the first sign of danger, whether the flyers like it or not. And we were specifically told by Seeker's flyer that it was you had done the unthinkable and were on the way…"

The hidden runner took one small step back. "...but you lack the stench of guilt."

Guido landed on Verant's back with a soft thud. "Seeker's flyer? Seeker cannot send a flyer because of what will happen if he sends a big flyer to the valley! That's why I am here."

The hidden runners began to mutter amongst themselves as this registered in their ears.

"But they knew the code," the hidden runner leader confirmed, "Two shrieks and two long low

bellows."

"Something even a child could figure out by hiding and listening for a good long while," Verant said, barely hiding his disgust at such sloppiness, "For a kind almost obsessed with spying on everyone else, not to mention each other, how did that _never occur to you_?"

"It did. That is why we went to inspect before doing anything rash. And now one of our own lays dead for our trouble."

"Inspect? That's something you do at a good distance without setting up an ambush," Verant replied, "What you did..."

"Verant."

"...was move against what you thought was a threat; you just didn't know how many."

"Verant," Guido's voice insisted.

"What?" Verant demanded, almost literally snapping at Guido.

"If someone lied to them so that they would kill you, and you would kill them, then maybe we should find out who is trying to kill everyone?" Guido shifted uneasily against the biter's smooth hide. "Maybe he lied to other people?"

"Lied to other... Mender!" Verant turned and sprinted away, heading towards valley's entrance as fast as his legs could carry him, with a hapless Guido hanging on for dear life. Within mere moments he was out of sight, leaving the hidden runners with their dead.

"What do we do now, sir? He killed Quanto."

The hidden runner continued to look at where the duo had disappeared, his beak quivering like a worm drying in the radiance of the midday Bright Circle.

"Whoever lied to us all killed Quanto. Now it is time for us to stand to our duties. We were here to protect the Great Leader's allies, and that is what we will do."

He turned back towards his three comrades. "Wave down a valley flyer. Screech if you must. Let them know that something is wrong and then report back to me."

There was no delay as the others sprinted into the dense jungle to carry out their leader's order. Leaving him with his dead comrade. He only hoped that he would be the only one claimed by Fate on this day.

* * *

"It has been a long time since I've been here…"

Orchid couldn't help but stare at the ravine walls in a mixture of nostalgia and instinctual concern. Though his sister had gone to the valley to seek aid during the situation with Chomper's parents, his last time in the valley's outer reaches was when he was much smaller. Back when longnecks were called 'mountains' and the valley's protective walls stretched into the sky. A much more innocent time.

Well, it was a more innocent time until the Battle for the Valley raged around them. Any innocence died on that day.

He turned towards Cynnil and Buse. "Any of you been here for spying duty or something like that?"

His jocular question got the desired response as Buse let out a snort and Cynnil rolled her eyes.

"The battle was before my first scouting run, Orchid. And Ignis is not too keen on invading the valley itself with her spies. The last time I checked she did not like sending people into certain death."

Orchid nodded at her response and continued to examine the scenery around them. "This ravine turns twice, and then you will see the Great Mound. Where the honored ancestors lie."

"Orchid, how many times have you been here?" Mender asked, interested.

"Once. It was the fourth year after my hatching, when mother and father decided that it was time to seek shelter in the valley during its time of need." He frowned a bit at the less than pleasant memories but then smiled after a pause when he remembered the funnier moments. Of Shorty being called a 'boulder' and of the swimmers being perplexed by his feathers. "We were allowed to stay until the next Time of Eggs, but then we needed to go."

He then pointed towards his left, where one of the ravine walls stood. "We took another way home on the way out. That is a longer way, about seven days, but Dad wanted to make sure we knew both ways. And, well, with a migrating threehorn herd with us the journey was not too risky." He caught Mender's concerned look at the mention of threehorns. "Um… not risky for us."

"You remember all that from just _one_ trip a long time ago?" Mender asked, surprised, "I can barely find my back to where was if I have to go somewhere even a half day away."

"Oh, please, Mender, you aren't _that_ bad," Cynnil gently chided, "Many dinosaurs rely on smell to avoid learning directions on the run. But fastrunners have a bit of an advantage, don't they?"

Now it was Orchid's turn to act a bit offput. "Well, um, I guess. We fastrunners have to memorize paths from when we are young in case we ever have to use them again. This is why when we were moving Mom and Dad did not permit us to sleep on their backs. We had to stay awake and watch. Instinct would do the rest."

"I can tell you if I've been to a place," Mender said, "but I can't tell you how to get there. I found the last place I remember my hatch pack living, but that was kind of an accident..."

Orchid had to stop his forward progress as Buse's green feathers suddenly filled his vision.

"So all of us are just going through this barrens, right? The usual: sand, heat, death, more sand. And then she jumps up and begins to point at this dead tree and dried up river."

As if to punctuate the memory, Buse jumped up with his feathers puffed out and began to act like a fastbiter on point, tail outstretched, as he circled a tree.

Orchid blinked. "So you just happened to find it while going through the barrens? That is amazing!"

"It kinda scared me," Mender admitted, "I didn't exactly have good memories of that place. I guess my family really is gone. We.. we didn't find any signs that other fastbiters were in the area."

"I'm sure that they moved out of the area, Mender. The Time of Changes changed many things, as the dry river showed us."

"If the river had hurried up and dried sooner then I and my brother would have never lost them," Mender joked morbidly.

To say that comment kind of soured the mood would have been an understatement as the group continued their forward movement. Orchid, however, wanted to direct things in a more positive direction as he turned towards the predator once more.

"So um… how close have you come to the valley in your travels?"

"Not close enough," Mender said, "Actually, the closest I've ever gotten was with my parents. I tried to sneak off to see what the valley looked like."

"You what?!" came the response of the remainder of the pack in an almost harmonious chorus.

"What?" Mender protested, "I didn't get that far at all before getting caught. Once my parents _finally_ let me leave the nest again my siblings wouldn't let me out of their sight for a whole cycle of the Night Circle." She laughed at herself. "I'm not entirely sure they didn't just stop letting me see them."

"So… this is as close as you have come?" Orchid asked before receiving a nod, "Then let me warn you about the Canyon of Stench. That is right next to where the dead from the battle are buried. And it reeks..."

Cynnil nodded. "Now that I have heard about from the other scouts when I was with the scout packs… they said that you knew that you got close enough when you could smell that on the wind."

Orchid allowed himself the slightest smile as he nonchalantly took some leaves from a nearby bush and began to stuff them into his nostrils. "Guess which path we are on?"

"I don't know what you're complaining about," Mender said, smirking a bit, "I don't smell anything."

Orchid couldn't help but shake his head as his words left him. He had set them all up for this. Buse, meanwhile, couldn't help but laugh at the sheer absurdity of it all. Mender's disability for once had become an advantage. For once, Mender had earned the last word.

* * *

 **The pack's territory:**

"Mom..."

Ungu looked around out of fear that someone else might have been watching, but seeing no one else, she readily leaned into the nuzzle.

"Getting too old for nuzzles?" Staza asked teasingly.

The little fastbiter snorted in amusement. "No! I just… the others might see."

"What, you think their parents don't nuzzle them?" Staza asked.

"Well, yeah… but we have to look tough around them! They are a different pack, right?" Ungu asked with wide innocent eyes, "Besides I don't want to give Pounce anything more to joke about."

"If he jokes about anything, you could just mention that he was defeated by a tree," Staza replied.

Ungu turned her head. "What?"

Staza started to lead Ungu back towards the pack. "He climbed a cloud-toucher, which he wasn't supposed to do, and he got caught by his parents," she explained.

Ungu took the opportunity to jump on her mother's back. "He did _what_?"

"See, he gets in trouble same as everyone else," Staza said.

Ungu smiled a bit, now feeling a bit better. Up ahead she could see that they would soon rejoin the pack. "Mom, I really am sorry I didn't say anything," she said in a rush, as if she feared she'd suddenly lose her courage.

Staza chuckled softly before giving her daughter a light nuzzle. "It's alright, dear. Keeping troubles secret seems to be a family trait, but that is something that we need to work on. Just promise me that you will keep on following Haven's sniffer lessons. If they worked on Mender they will work on you."

"I promise," Ungu said before hopping back down to the ground.

Both mother and child walked a bit further when the sights and sounds of the nearby spectacle came into focus. Just like with the meeting before, the kids were assembled around their respective parents. With only Staza and Verant's kids dutifully by themselves with Gyors taking the 'parent' place in the little collection of bodies. If either Ungu or Staza had any doubts about what was going on the words that suddenly carried in the air washed away all doubt.

"So the rule is, children: if it is taller than your mommy and daddy, then it is too tall to climb. Otherwise you will be grounded for ten days."

"Ten days!" came several exclamations as the various assembled kids took in the news from Seeker. The stern looks that they received from their parents was all of the confirmation that they needed.

Littlefoot nodded. "Yes, ten days. And since many of you knew that Pounce, Ambush, and Sprint were making dangerous dares and did not tell anyone… it is time for pack punishment."

 _Why do I get the feeling this happens a lot?_ Staza wondered as she noted how the kids simply groaned in response rather than protest. She looked at her own kids as she lightly nudged her son to let him know of her presence. Within mere moments Gyors moved back, allowing her to fill the 'parents' spot for her assembled children.

Biter stepped forward, his brown fathers and red crest shining in the midday light. "What punishment shall we receive, Father?" he asked with unnatural formality.

Littlefoot nodded before looking at his son with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. "Son… rank?"

Biter muttered an obscenity under his breath as he gave an apologetic nod to Nibble, the rightful leader of the younglings after the latest round of sparing. Nibble then stepped forward hesitantly as if for once he preferred that Biter carry out this role. "What punishment shall we receive, sir?"

"All of you will be on boundary marking duty for the next seven days. No play or food until that is done each morning."

The chorus of groans and moans was almost deafening as each child reacted to their plight. Pounce, for his part, appeared to fade into the sea of feathers as he lowered himself out of shame. Though his brother and sister did not fare much better, not meeting any of the other pack members gazes.

Gyors, Ungu, and their siblings didn't have a much better reaction, trying to figure out how to disappear while not looking like they were trying to disappear. While not having been involved, it was still awkward to watch the proceedings.

"Can my punishment be increased so that my packmates are not punished?"

 _Well, that was unexpected,_ Staza thought, surprise momentarily evident on her face, _I guess Pounce has a bit more to him than trouble-making._

Littlefoot watched the youngling for several moments. "What punishment do you think you should receive?"

Pounce's reaction was not verbal, nor was it quick, and for several moments Staza wondered if he had even heard the pack leader's words. But that was when she noticed him lowering himself nearly to the ground and stepping backwards until he was beside one of Ducky's children, one of obviously lower rank based upon her placement with the other younglings. Then he lowered himself all of the way, practically face-planting the ground.

 _Really never wanted to see_ that _gesture again,_ Staza thought, _I hope Pounce gets a chance to redeem himself eventually._

Seeker nodded. "Alright, accepted. You shall keep that rank for seven days then you may try to work yourself back up. And Pounce?"

The little fastbiter looked up. "Yes, sir?"

"We will have tree-climbing practice at some point, but it will be under our guidance. You understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good." Littlefoot looked up at the others assembled. "You three are grounded to your nest for seven days and the rest of you can go free. Meeting dismissed."

Staza noticed that none of the kids left immediately. Her own actually didn't leave at all but instead unconsciously formed a defensive circle. _I know how you feel,_ she thought, unsure what she could say to them, _Listening to others get in trouble is extremely unpleasant. Looks like Pounce did the right thing. Or at least his parents think so, if their nuzzling him is anything to go by._

"It's alright, children." Ruby affirmed as she walked close to the little defensive circle of younglings, "That was unpleasant for us as well. But learning an early lesson is better than learning a lesson too late."

"I suspect we will see Pounce in many spars over the next season," Littlefoot muttered absentmindedly, "Just like my son and Nibble."

"Flyer!" Staza suddenly called out, spotting movement out of the corner of her eye. She pretended not to notice that her kids were suddenly much more tightly crowded around her than they had been only a moment before.

Littlefoot looked over. "Oh, it is probably just Spotter. He…"

His mate spoke before he finished. "That is not Spotter."

 _Well, Spotter's there now,_ Staza thought, impressed at how quickly Petrie and Soar suddenly appeared on either side of the unknown flyer.

Soar veered off suddenly, momentarily confusing Staza. But as soon as the new flyer and Petrie landed all confusion suddenly vanished.

"Brother? What you doing here?"

 _Spotter has siblings? Why do I keep forgetting that?_ Staza thought.

"Wow, Spotter, that is one nice greeting!" the leaf-eater muttered a bit sarcastically, "Is something wrong? I am here to give news from the valley."

It was then that Littlefoot's posture made an obvious change from surprise to fear. Ruby needed no further information as she began to give a recall call to the others. Sending a high-pitched chirping sound throughout the territory.

"We were told that no large flyers were to leave the valley because a plot is afoot. Was that the message of the valley?"

 _Please let nothing else be wrong,_ Staza thought, hoping desperately that her gut feeling was for once wrong.

The other flyer looked at everyone with concern. "We haven't sent anything over the last several days. Who told you that?"

He was answered by the deafening alert call of Littlefoot. Now the truth had finally dawned on them all. They had all been betrayed.

* * *

 **Outside the valley:**

"Stream ahead… three, two, one, jump!"

Verant made the leap, barely registering the water he flew over. At the speed he was going, Verant was hardly registering any of the obstacles he was avoiding. Without Guido calling out the upcoming obstacles from his vantage point in the sky Verant was sure he would have had a potentially lethal crash long before now.

"Tree ahead, three, two, turn left then jog right!"

Verant barely avoided the tree in time, nearly stumbling through the change in direction. _Don't panic. Don't slow down. You've got to get to Mender._

* * *

"We've got movement in the ravine!"

The flyer groaned at the unwanted interruption in his midday nap. Knowing the enthusiasm of the greener scouts it was probably just a tinysaurus being chased or something. It wasn't like the valley controlled the ravine. It was just an area to watch for advancing threats.

"Another tinysaurus, Entrak?"

The smaller flayer was taken aback. "No, sir! We have a fastbiter!"

This was enough to make the elder rise to his feet and wingtips. Now this was different. "Show me!"

With a burst of power from his aging wings and legs he hurled himself off of the cliff and into the thin air of the ravine. He allowed himself to feel the air around his body and to stare at the flowing air until he saw what he was looking for: an updraft of warm air. This being found, he promptly opened his wings and allowed himself to glide over the land below.

It only took him a moment for his counterpart to screech an alert. They had found their target.

 _Hmmm… could be a hungry sod looking for a meal, but I do not see anything in front of him. What could he…_ That was when he saw a familiar ball of feathers sailing in front of the blue predator. _Guido?_

He did not hesitate to dive closer. Something was amiss.

* * *

 _I will only get one chance at this, I have to make it count._

"So you can begin to see the hill way over there…" A purple fastrunner pointed in the distance as a hidden runner walked beside him. The hidden runner appeared to fade in and out of existence against the verdant foliage, while the fastrunner remained a constant beacon of purple against the contrasting vegetation around him.

"Urgh… can't we stop the sight-seeing routine and get going! My beak wants to run off of my face with this stench around!" another hidden runner exclaimed, suddenly appearing from a shadow cast by the trees.

"So it's true that your beak is faster than your brain?"

The assassin's yellow eyes peered through the foliage at the new voice. It only took a moment for a fastbiter's purple hide to begin to appear from the darkness. Not even the twisted symphony being played between the Bright Circle and the trees could hide her hue.

 _Found you._

The assassin could feel his claws strain against the dry wood in his clutches. That was when he felt something wet on his clawed feet as he crushed the bulb in one swift movement. He wasn't about to prepare this stuff on the same claws he might absentmindedly touch to his beak.

"Ha… ha… now toss me another one of those sticky leaves, will you?"

"Okay," the purple female replied, appearing to deliberately take the hidden runner literally and tossing the leaf to her counterpart. In the process leaning over the bush in front of the unseen observer's point of view.

He rubbed his foot claws against the wood in a swift motion right as the hidden runner laughed.

"Heh… alright, Mender, you know what I mean… how about…"

"Shh!" the fastbiter hissed, "You hear that?"

 _Shit!_ The assassin gripped the spear until the splinters pressed into his flesh. It was only the consequences of failure that prevented him from striking now. Not a single breath left his nostrils as his heart hammered in his chest.

The purple fastrunner looked at his fastbiter companion with concern before silently shaking his head at her question.

That was when the male hidden runner's eyes went wide. "And here we can't smell anything…"

 _Just a bit more to the left…_ The assassin could feel the rough wood press against his mud-covered thigh, seering and unforgiving in its abuse as he leaned back and allowed his eyes to lock upon his target. _Can't give you a chance to dodge..._

The purple fastrunner began to dart his head back and forth as if searching for anything amiss in the malevolent cascade of light and shadow. His eyes appeared unfocused, not seeing the mysterious stranger in his midst who was covered in mud and leaves..

But that was when his purple head snapped into place, appearing to focus on something in the bushes. That was when his beak suddenly opened wide.

"Stick!"

 _Too late._

The assassin hurled the spear at his target with all of his might.

* * *

 **bryan mccloud** : I suspect Thud has read the outline of this story and decided to be off-screen for at least the first half of it. :p In any case I hope that you have enjoyed the latest installment of the story.

 **gordhanx** : No problem about the short review. I am glad that you enjoyed the scenes with Orchid and Mender's confrontation about that. It seems that Detras and Pearl opted to not give him "the talk" much to Mender's disapproval. As for the boat situation, do not be too concerned about things getting crazy with naval warfare or anything like that. :p I just wanted to show that the hidden runners have noticed the rainbowface pair's ability to blurt out useful information, both in word and deed. I hope that the long delay was worth it for this chapter.

 **Keijo6** : Thank you for the review. (: As I am sure this story has shown thus far, any happiness or relief seldom is long-lived. :p I am also glad to hear that you enjoyed the Orchid scene - as it was certainly one of the most enjoyable to write. Much like with Mender in the past scenes, we are seeing the gradual maturation of Orchid as he learns more about the world and himself. As for Wrok and Ignis, the plots and counterplots are indeed in full swing. I hope that I did not lose anyone with the new developments in this chapter. As with the cultural contamination with the boat situation - don't worry. That was merely there to show that people are becoming aware of the excesses of the rainbowfaces. We are not going to have a naval warfare scene in this story with Admiral Taunt or anything like that. :p


	31. An in-universe authors note

**As requested, we are posting this as a kind of in-universe author's note to the story. This need not be considered part of the official narrative for those of you who prefer to keep the "rainbowface doing alien things" to a minimum in your reading, but we hope that it clarifies some of the developments in the story. For those of you waiting for the next chapter, I will try to get that posted on Wednesday evening, Central US time.**

 **As always we look forward to your feedback, even on a fun little in-universe author's note such as this. (:**

* * *

 **A Report to the Consortium**

 _A SPECIAL REPORT TO THE CONSORTIUM CONCERNING THE HIDDEN RUNNER CIVIL CONFLICT_

 _RATING: NOT RESTRICTED_

 ** _Be advised that the following document is dictated via a Type 40 Archiver Device. Interruptions in dictation and local colloquialisms due to the cultural contamination of its author have been omitted for the sake of clarity except where they are relevant to the subject matter. More information on the special circumstances of reports from this planet can be found in_ _Document Tau 3-2717947: Special Circumstances Authorization for Officers Chronos and Logos._**

War is a dangerous business. For even when one has measured every known variable an unknown variable may ruin the most carefully laid plans. This is no less true for this planet's "Age of Spear" as it was for the Consortium's second century, but for the factions involved in this conflict the stakes are perhaps easier to see, and much more salient.

We have already reviewed the conflict in our classified dispatches, but we feel it is prudent to clarify the situation for those lacking researcher clearance level one. Obviously the development of multiple species to sapience and, perhaps, some measure of civilization on the same planet is a very rare circumstance and, as the Consortium's representatives and researchers on this planet, we bear a responsibility to make this knowledge accessible to the public at-large.

Let us begin, then, with a look at the factions.

 **Factions**

 _Ignis_

The rise of Ignis to the scrape (leadership) of her pack is truly a meteoric one, and, if one was being honest, one that was probably only made possible by the Stone of Destiny crashing on to this planet. After her father's demise and her strong willed push for intervention on behalf of the Great Valley, she was elected by the standard electoral body of her people which is - as far as we can tell - made up of siblings and the children of the previous ruler. At that time she rose to her position as the leader of her people in a macabre ceremony involving the killing of the previous Left Claw (analogous to a Vizier) and the elevation of her and her advisor to the highest levels of respect and esteem. Subject only to the perceived mandates of "Fate" the word of the Great Leader is law.

From the time of her installment as Great Leader Ignis has proven to be a bit of an enigma to the valley and, we presume, to her fastbiter allies. True to the reputation of her kind she has routinely sent out scouts to spy on her rivals and allies alike. Though she has proven open to dialogue and friendship as shown with the Triple Alliance and the proliferation of mixed-species packs. Tensions had cooled prior to the rise of the current conflict, but now the situation has returned to an uneasy and uncertain path.

In terms of relations it appears that Ignis is safe from treachery, though looks can always be deceiving. She has, at our last count, four mates. Only one of these mates, the favored mate, is entitled to acting in the Great Leader's absence. Viscond, a hero of the Great Battle, has taken this role and has generally ensured harmony between Ignis's other mates.

Another relation of the Great Leader is her cousin, Penol, who is indicative of a particular peculiarity of Ignis. It would appear from our studies that hidden runner society is typically characterized with a strong caste system, which only is deviated from through the judgement of "Fate" which, in practice, means heroism in battle, being chosen by the Great Leader, or some other show of fortuitous circumstances. In the case of Penol she was seized by Ignis's guards as a lowly member of the pack and then elevated to Ignis's First Assistant. From what we have seen Penol has risen to the occasion, though she must have been away on other business during our meeting with the Great Leader today. We can only imagine that such shows of benevolence must endear Ignis to her people, but it must also create some tension in the "High Hatched". Only time will tell if that tension can be used by her enemies.

Finally, there is the interesting character of Dravos. He is the current occupant of the title or, perhaps one could say, the office of Left Claw. As far as can be gleaned from the limited data on hand his role appears to be that of chief executive of the pack and the enforcer of Ignis's less savory functions. It seems that the hidden runners are well acquainted with the Aquerian saying "The leader must appear clean even when cleansing the realm of his enemies.". Even though the rule that a Left Claw must be killed upon the death of his leader creates a concrete reason for a Left Claw to remain loyal to the end, we must admit that we have questions concerning this hidden runner's character. Had he not been selected as a candidate for this role and been forced to survive the underlying ritual (which from the stories we have heard is a sadistic affair) we might consider him a potential threat to Ignis.

Now onto the actual threats to Ignis's hold on power...

 _Wrok_

The first challenger to the current Great Leader is a rather shadowy figure named Wrok or, literally in the hidden runner tongue, "Spite-giver". This is perhaps a name he picked for himself but it just as easily could have been a given name from a family line who despised rule from Ignis's faraway pack. The resentment between some of the frontier packs and the pack of the Great Leader is a recurring issue according to their songs. Even adjacent packs will challenge the Great Leader's scouts with mock incursions before showing deference upon discovery - a tradition analogous to vitriolic friendship - albeit with a pack doing the mock assault and not an individual. It seems that with growing distance that this feeling of kinship dwindles, however, and that such deference is harder to obtain.

Currently Wrok has two objectives that he could attempt to achieve in order to reach his ultimate goal of becoming the new Great Leader:

1) Mate with Ignis after outmaneuvering her diplomatically. This would result in the death of her current favored mate and her children as he takes over as the Right Claw and she diminishes in terms of actual power. In our judgement Ignis would choose to fight to the death over this option.

2) Mate with a relation to the Great Leader and then show that she is no longer favored by "Fate" by either defeating her in battle, assassination, or other means of discrediting her claim. This would solidify Wrok's hold on power and also allow him to avoid an unhappy mating. The loyalty of all of Ignis's kin makes this option unlikely, however.

3) Conquest. Kill Ignis, her kin, and her children. This is an accepted way to show that Fate has chosen another according to the songs of the hidden runners. It is how the current dynasty came to power many generations ago if those songs are to be believed.

We view Wrok as an opportunistic figure who uses legitimate grievances as a tool for the advancement of himself and his pack. We do not see hidden runner society changing much with his ascension, however.

 _Questor_

The other challenger is one that is, in our view, the most concerning character in this entire affair; though this view is not shared by the valley, Ignis, or any other faction as far as we can tell. From what can be gleaned from our sources, Questor is an utterly disreputable character who has done every possible dirty deed (in the eyes of hidden runner society) to get to where he currently is: the leader of a pack. He mated into positions, only to have his mate die under mysterious circumstances when she had outlived her usefulness. Superiors have died under his own hand or those of his allies. Likewise, it is generally believed that he faked his own death at one time simply so that those found rejoicing at the prospect could be targeted for murder later. In the valley or in fastbiter society such a being would have been killed long ago.

But this is where the hidden runner belief system creates leaders from scoundrels and chosen ones from the lucky. Because each of these actions is viewed much differently when Fate is taken into account. In this perspective every near miss Questor survives, every outrageous plan of his that succeeds, and every laughable venture that ends up as anything other than failure, counts in his favor as being chosen by Fate. For, in this perspective, how else would Fate announce its new chosen but by surviving through audacity?

We view Questor as a possible messianic figure who, if successful, could take the hidden runner packs of this region into a fanatical direction based upon hidden runner supremacy.

 _The fastbiter 'faction'_

The term faction is perhaps too strong a word for the several dozen fastbiter packs that exist in the region, but yet the fastbiter packs have been shown to be capable of joining together for mutual assistance in the past. One of the first instances of this was the widespread taking up of Seeker's bounty (in the form of free meals hunted by the pack) on Calin's tail. No less than seven fastbiter packs, eight bellydraggers, four two-footers, a dozen carnivorous flyers, numerous hidden runners, and even a fastrunner attempted to collect the bounty. We assume that the fastrunner merely provided scouting support. A second instance, of course, involved the forming of the Triple Alliance. Unknown to the valley the Triple Alliance included the mutual recognition of 13 fastbiter packs and their territories in exchange for safe passage rights by hidden runners and the members of those packs. This safe passage right did not extend to herbivores, of course, which the fastbiters deem a food source.

Ultimately it is not known whether a unified response of any kind will come from the fastbiter packs. Though the safe passage agreements (in exchange for the guests hunting on behalf of the hosts) are still intact from our sources, the packs have appeared to return to their old ways. There was nothing like a unified council made between the packs, nor any supreme leader. Only a general feeling that a faction is uniting against them might elicit such a response.

 _The Great Valley_

The final faction for consideration then is the Great Valley. It was in this place of refuge for herbivores that the initial crisis ended and the conditions that led to the Alliance began. The democratic system of decision making for the valley makes any sort of consensus as to its perspective tenuous as best. However there are certain conclusions that can be reached from recent events.

First, the incident involving Chomper's parents and residents of the valley has weakened trust between Seeker's pack and many of the Great Valley's residents. Arguments concerning family bonds and putting a pack member's safety before that of allies tends to fall on deaf ears when one's side is that of the "food" in the equation.

Second, many of the residents in the valley are newcomers who have helped the valley regain its population since the apocalyptic battle with Redclaw's massive pack. As such they lack direct experience with the events of that battle, in particular the involvement of the pack and the hidden runners in turning the tide of the battle. This further reduces the amount of goodwill between some valley residents and their carnivorous and omnivorous allies.

Three, recent evidence indicates that a faction from within the valley is attempting to weaken the alliance itself. Though this might be a coordinated effort for one herd or another to gain influence over the old guard of influence makers in the valley, it might just as easily be a conspiracy from those who want a return to the old ways. Such a reactionary outlook is untenable with the abilities now available to the hidden runners and fastbiters, but this kind of reactionism is seldom based on rationality.

Ultimately the Great Valley is a great unknown in the unfolding drama. If it takes a side, however unlikely, it would turn the battle in favor of one party or another. But ending the alliance (and the movement of valley-unique healing plants) would end Ignis's greatest claim to greatness during her leadership. Such a turn of events would open up the possibility of her downfall - a prospect that both Wrok and Questor could capitalize on. For that reason collusion between one of the hidden runner upstarts and the valley conspiracy cannot be overlooked as a possibility.

 **The Triple Alliance**

The Triple Alliance, as we have styled the arrangement, is another aspect of the regional situation that cannot be overlooked in the current struggle. Ever since its creation was precipitated during the 'Spy Crisis' between Ignis and her fastbiter and valley allies, it has secured a more stable peace in the region.

The fastbiter and hidden runner packs both benefit from the acquisition of special healing plants from the Great Valley. The Great Valley benefits from having the healing leaves as leverage over the other factions, discouraging a general mass assault as happened in the Great Battle. The hidden runners benefit by gaining knowledge on their allies through their mutual exchange, as opposed to spying. But even in geopolitics a tripod is the most unstable of structures. The disruption of any one faction could result in a total upending of the existing peace. Ignis knows this; Seeker knows this; and the older influencers of the valley know this - but it has yet to be seen if the younger generation of the valley and the two hidden runner upstarts know this.

If the alliance fails then a regional scramble for supremacy is probably unavoidable.

 **Mixed packs**

An important development that was inspired in part by the mixed species in Seeker's pack and the need for healers is the development of dedicated mixed packs. Under the terms of the Triple Alliance such packs also have safe passage rights if they exist for the purpose of healing or, as existed temporarily on a few occasions, survey work. Such mixed packs are only authorized with the consent of the thirteen fastbiter packs and Ignis. The only current mixed pack is the healer pack headed by Cynnil and Mender.

 **REST OF SECTION REDACTED**

 _(Details on Cynnil, how that mixed pack came to be, and the beginning of the Triple Alliance remain classified to the public at this time, pending further review by our researchers.)_

 **The 'rainbowface' problem**

Despite our most stringent safeguards to prevent cultural contamination on this planet it has not escaped our notice that some of the factions might see us and our offspring as useful assets in the inevitable conflict. We are currently acting as ambassadors for the valley in this drama in order to present a non-threatening front to the most likely victor in this war, that being Ignis. However, if the situation changes then we are prepared to take extraordinary measures to prevent our use by any faction. As a last resort we, and cadets Axiom and Datum, will choose exile from this region in order to avoid serious cultural contamination. We hope that this contingency does not to be prove necessary.

For as long as remaining in our position is a possibility, we will endeavor to direct the social and technological development of the species on this planet into less destructive and more advantageous paths.

 **~ Officers Logos and Chronos**

 **End of Report**

* * *

 **Note: a recap of the gang's families can be found on chapter 24 of Songs of the Hunters, but it is also reproduced here for your convenience.**

 **The main pack members:**

 _Seeker (Littlefoot) and Ponder (Ruby)_

 _Stern Claw (Cera) and Taunt (lovable asshole)_

 _Haven (Ducky) and Leap_

 _Finder (Spike) and Breeze_

 _Spotter (Petrie) and Soar_

 **Littlefoot and Ruby's kids :**

 _Biter (son)_

 _Swipe (daughter)_

 **Cera and Taunt's kids :**

 _Ambush (daughter)_

 _Pouncer (son)_

 _Sprint (son)_

 **Spike and Breeze's kids :**

 _Sniffer (son)_

 _Nibble (son)_

 **Ducky and Leap's kids :**

 _Fisher (son)_

 _Verok (son) [named after Leap's brother]_

 _Tranquil (daughter) [named after Ducky's mother's aunt]_

 _Dodger (daughter)  
_

 _Aqua (daughter)_

 **Petrie and Soar's kids :**

 _Dive (son)_

 _Lift (daughter)_

 _Valaria (daughter) [named after Petrie's fallen sister]_

 **Rainbowfaces' kids :**

 _Datum (son)_

 _Axiom (daughter)_

 **Ruby's family :**

 _Detras (father)_

 _Pearl (mother)_

 _Orchid (brother) - Now part of a mixed pack with Cynnil, Buse, and Mender  
_

 _Arial (sister) - Now mated to Nahoda  
_

 **The leaf-eater gang :**

 _Sauria (Ali's mother and Bron's daughter - Littlefoot's sister)_

 _Charger (Savine's son - mother was killed by Chomper's parents)_

 _Datum (Son of the rainbowfaces)_

 _Axiom (Daughter of the rainbowfaces)_

 _Flip (a flyer)_

 _Malka (a swimmer)_

 _Tricia (Cera's sister)_

 **Chomper's family:**

 _Dein (father)_

 _Terri (mother)_

 _Verda (sister)_

 **Other characters of note:**

 _Uta (Ali's mom)_

 _Ura (Ducky's mother)_

 _Topps (Cera's father)_

 _Volant (Petrie's mother)_

 _Somni (Ali's mate)_

* * *

 **Now on to your reviews...**

 **gordhanx** : I know that we are a bit brutal with out cliffhangers. :p But thank you very much for the detailed review and kind words. (: I hope that you found this in-universe author's note helpful in recapping the major themes and developments of this story.

 **keijo6** : Thank you for the detailed review as always! I must agree with you concerning the pacing of the previous chapter. Though I think it worked out well enough in the end, it still perhaps dragged a bit at times. Ultimately though, it felt like keeping that chapter as one monolithic whole was the best option instead of separating it into two chapters. I am also glad to hear that you thought the focusing on small details worked well. I did want to focus a bit more on the cultures of the various species in this story as I think it not only shows the differences between them, but also the similarities between the various cultures.

I have also added your ideas concerning fanart and a potential story to my notes. I will certainly consider possibly exploring your story idea at some point.

 **TimeLordMaster108** : Thank you for the kind words! I hope that you enjoy the next chapter when we get it posted later this week.

 **bryan mccloud** : I will certainly consider your suggestions for commissioned art if I have the funds to do so in the next few months. I too would love to see what Axiom and Datum would look like in the eyes of an artist.

 **Thanks again, everyone! The next chapter should be up late on Wednesday night, Central US time.**


	32. Chapter 26: Collapse

**-v-**

 **As promised here is the next chapter. We hope that you enjoy and, as always, feedback is welcome!**

* * *

 **Chapter 26: Collapse**

" _ **If the fall doesn't kill you, then you probably didn't fly high enough."**_

 _ **~Old flyer saying**_

* * *

"Straight ahead, then around tree to the right… then a left."

Verant barely registered the vocalizations of the flyer, who no doubt was gliding somewhere above his head. His only reaction was to suddenly lurch to the right to avoid the tree that he could see and then lurch to the left to do the same for its hidden accomplice. Though he would not admit it to the teal flyer above him, they did make for an effective team.

"Open grass ahead… and there they are!"

Verant forced himself to slow down rather than risk running over anyone and give him time to react if there was trouble. "Any threats?" he asked, now moving at a normal run rather than the breakneck sprint he'd been doing a moment ago. _Worry about Mender now. Consider passing out when she's safe later._ His sprint had taxed him more than he wanted to admit.

The teal flyer did a double take before realizing that he was losing altitude. "I just see purple in the distance, ah… fastrunner and a fastbiter. Can't see the hidden runners. I guess they're hidden?"

"Let'em know we're coming. I don't want another accident," Verant ordered.

Guido nodded as he struggled to catch the thermals once more. Within moments his forward speed again outpaced Verant's as the fastbiter continued his desperate forward movement in the dense grass.

 _Please be alright, Mender. Please be alright..._

There are moments in one's life that pass like a Mayfly, fleeting and swiftly disappearing into the void of memory, and then there are moments that drag on like epochs, never appearing to disappear. Unfortunately for Verant he had just entered into one of those times as Guido screamed louder than he thought possible.

"Stick!"

For all Verant could have known the sky could have turned into fire and the ground into ash, the winds could have carried the scent of sulphur and the sounds of gnashing teeth, but he paid no heed to his senses at that moment. The only sensations that reached his frayed consciousness was the burning of his legs and the sudden eruption of a pained scream from a voice that he could not forget.

He landed with a thud as a familiar purple form twitched against the verdant grass. That was when he saw the spear embedded in her tail and a nearly hysterical fastrunner at her side. His widened eyes met Verant's for a moment.

"I tried to push her out of the way… but he was too fast!"

Cynnil quickly secured the tail as if it were a ground fuzzy. "Guys, we need the hard water fruit now! We have to get the Orange Death out!"

Both Orchid and Buse quickly grabbed their own hard water fruits before Buse finally used his spear to impale Orchid's fruit. Without another word Cynnil yelled, "Brace!"

Verant tried to make sense of what he was seeing as Buse secured a vine around Mender's snout and Orchid fell upon her front legs, securing them to the ground. Then, as if to answer the unspoken question, Cynnil ripped out the spear causing a pained and muffled roar echo across the canyon.

Orchid began to shake right there as the raptor's body began to twitch in an uncontrolled fashion. "Easy, Mender… easy... we have to get the poison out."

Cynnil and Buse, meanwhile, proceeded to rinse the wound with the fruit's clear water. All that Verant could see, however, was his sister's fresh flowing blood and her attempt to remove the vine from her snout.

That was when Guido landed some distance away and began waving his wings frantically at something unseen in the sky.

 **Caw!**

Guido nodded then. "Okay… now the valley knows!"

"Good," Verant said tersely, "Who did this?"

Orchid removed himself from Mender's front legs as they continued to shake slightly, obviously no longer under her control. "Fastrunner. It went towards the valley."

Mender took the opportunity and got the vine free of her muzzle. "Don't… valley won't know..."

Cynnil was there in an instant. "You've got to stay calm, Mender! Remember, fast heart means fast death. We've got the stick out so maybe…"

As if to answer her friend's demand, Mender's body seized up once more, as if every muscle and tendon had decided to contract of their own accord. That was when Mender's yellow eyes began to roll into her head.

"Stay with me, Mender!" Cynnil yelled, trying to keep her head in place. "Stay with my voice!"

Verant forced himself to tear his eyes from his sister, practically shaking with rage. "Stay with her," he ordered Orchid before tearing off in the direction the only scent he didn't recognize led.

He had a fastrunner to kill.

The fastrunner tried to live up to his kind's name as tree after tree blurred across his panicked vision. Despite the fact that he had planned out his escape route, he knew that nothing was certain in the seconds to come.

 _Get to the river. Follow the river. Get to the scouts... Get to the river. Follow the river. Get to the scouts._

He repeated the mantra in his head as he jumped over a log which blocked his path. Ignoring the sudden pain in his calf as he landed, he resumed his monotonous and desperate run.

That was when he heard the flyer's alert call.

 _Shit… shit… shit…_

Perhaps it was the pain in his leg from his previous landing attempt, or perhaps it was the agitation from the alert call, but it was then that the fastrunner forgot about a very critical part of the river he was to follow. Namely that it was surrounded by thorny plants.

"Ahhh!"

He rolled into the river's muddy shores as his forward momentum carried his body through the jagged thorns. It was only due to the adrenaline flowing through his veins that he was able to force himself from the thick mud and to ignore the stabs of pain that now echoed across his body. He had to get moving again! His yell surely alerted anyone nearby to his presence.

He forced himself to his feet as the sucking sound of wet mud emanated from his feet. His paranoia was now all-encompassing as he focused on the vegetation around him.

The dense grass and thorny bushes gently swayed in the wind, as if mocking his heightened paranoia. Against this verdant backdrop no sign of immediate danger presented itself.

He allowed himself a deep breath as he proceeded to jog against the cool water. He might get out of this after all.

That was when he saw the bushes in the distance begin to sway against the wind.

* * *

 _There he is,_ Verant thought, spotting the fleeing fastrunner running along the river's edge.

The purple fastrunner was now in a headlong sprint as every movement of his feet flung mud behind him. The lack of any attempt to shake off his pursuer was a clear sign that the prey had entirely lost his sense. Panic had taken full hold.

 _I can't let him get away,_ Verant thought, angling towards the fastrunner, _He hurt Mender. He might've... he might've... I'm going to make him_ suffer _for what he's done._

As if hearing Verant's thoughts, the fastrunner began to swerve, preempting the winding course of the river which took a hard left turn in the distance. A clear attempt to gain some distance on the advancing predator.

 _Oh, no you don't,_ Verant thought, pushing himself harder to decrease the distance between himself and the fastrunner. Despite his efforts the fastrunner was still able to gain a few body-lengths on his pursuer due to its more slender form. But that was when Verant heard it.

" **That must be it! Crush the fastbiter!"**

 _Not this again,_ Verant thought, more angry than afraid, _If they're going to get between me and that fastrunner, the fastest way is to go through them. Preferably literally._

As both the predator and the prey followed the curvature of the river, the threehorns aimed their movements directly towards Verant, quickly advancing into the water of the wide but shallow river. Against its green, murky depths their horns gave the water the appearance of white foam. It only took Verant a few moments to realize that they would cross the river in front of him before he could reach his target.

 _Okay, so I've got one threehorn a bit further ahead than the others. If I angle it right, I should be able to get at his neck then go after the next one..._ Verant thought as the threehorns came ever closer.

" **Stop!"**

Verant froze for a moment, recognizing Guido's voice.

" **He is not the problem! The fastrunner is!"**

The threehorns stopped in front of the fastbiter before looking at the teal flyer in confusion. All that Guido could do to avoid a collision was to swerve at the last moment, colliding into a nearby fern.

" **Why are we listening to the flying leaf? Let's crush this fiend!"**

" **That flying leaf is Guido, you idiot! This must be one of Seeker's people."**

The first threehorn turned towards his comrade with annoyance. **"Same difference."**

That was when a grey threehorn arrived on the scene. **"What is going on?"**

Guido rubbed his head as he walked away from the fern. **"A fastrunner hurt Mender. Verant was chasing him until they stopped him."** Guido pointed at Verant and then the threehorns for emphasis.

Finally forced to stop, Verant realized just how tired he was. _Wait!_ He suddenly realized that the fastrunner he had been pursuing was no longer visible.

The grey threehorn roared. **"Well, then, what are you waiting for? We have a fastrunner to get away from our valley! Move!"**

As suddenly as they had come on the scene, the threehorns ran in the general direction that the fastrunner had travelled. However, Verant knew full well that their efforts were not likely to succeed. He had one chance to chase down the possible murderer of his sister, and he had blown it. Once more he had failed to protect Mender.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm not hurt if that's what you're asking," Verant replied, looking up to glare at Guido. _Unless you know where that fastrunner went I don't want to talk right now._

Guido glided down to the surface, apparently not aware of Verant's glare. It was only once the teal flyer landed and began to shuffle along in an odd gait that Verant realized that Guido must have injured his foot.

"Are _you_ alright?" Verant asked.

The teal flyer opened his beak as if getting ready to speak, but then closed it as he looked in the direction that they both had came. It was a faraway look.

"We… you should get back to her."

Verant lowered himself to the ground next to Guido. "Hop on."

It only took a few seconds before Verant could feel the slight weight of the flyer upon his neck. He did not wait for any further confirmation before sprinting against the wind. His aching muscles and Guido's pained feet could wait; he had a sister to comfort.

 _Hold on, Mender. I'm coming. Just hold on._

* * *

"Mender, try to swallow this…"

Mender struggled to focus on the purple form in front of her face. In the confusing cacophony of voices and colors, the giant beak that appeared to dance in front of her was at least something to focus on. What was it saying, though? Something about swallowing? Was it time for a meal?

That was when a red leaf and a torrent of water from a fruit were suddenly dumped into her mouth. As if predicting her response her two hidden runner friends forcefully held her muzzle closed.

Mender tried to brush the offending claws off of her muzzle, but the attempt had no force behind it and was laughably inaccurate. _Yuck._

"Swallow, Mender. You've got to swallow for us!" a feminine voice echoed at the edge of her consciousness. It almost reminded her of someone from long ago…

Reluctantly she swallowed the disgusting mixture of sweet fluid and bitter vegetation. In the series of spasms that followed she couldn't quite tell if it was from the healing plant or from the strange ailment that seemed to be affecting her.

"How is she?" she heard a blue blur that resolved into her brother ask after skidding to a stop. He sounded worried, but he always sounded worried when she wasn't feeling well.

The giant purple beak that had danced in her vision earlier now seemed to grow still as it focused on the blue blur. It was the feminine voice that answered him, however. A voice that sounded resigned and fatigued.

"We gave her all of the cure that we had. Now it is in Fate's claws."

"There's got to be something more you can do," she heard Verant say. She'd know that voice anywhere. _Why does he sound so mad now?_

"Verant…" a green leaf on her brother's shoulder cautioned. And it was that tone that finally made something in her fading mind click into place.

She was dying. She was dying and her brother blamed her friends.

Mender raised her arm with as much coordination as last time, merely waving it in the general direction of her brother. Eventually she made contact with her target either due to her persistence or him moving closer. She jerked her head back to avoid the stranglehold that her friends had kept on her potentially dangerous mouth.

"Dod-ger..." her voice rasped with a distinct lack of strength.

"Save your strength, sis," Verant said softly, "We're gonna get you some help."

Rest did sound great right now. But there was something that she needed to say… something that couldn't wait… something… oh right, she was dying.

"Pro-tect my pack."

She looked at the blue face of her brother as it began to blur once more. Though, truth to be told, everything else was kind of blurring as well. Maybe her brother was right about resting. A good rest sounded good right about now…

"Mender? Stay awake, sis," Verant said, moving to nudge his sister, "Mender!"

* * *

 **Several years ago** :

" _Ahhh! Help Flinter! How do I get out of this hole?"_

 _Violet ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She had had enough. First the tiny biters had tried to steal eggs from a two-footer nest and wondered why two-footers were after them. Then one of the deputies tried to court a rock in the shape of a tiny biter and wondered why she was playing hard to get. She simply had to escape from this madness._

" _We will follow you until end of time, Great Leader!"_

 _ **Chomp!**_

" _We will follow…"_

 _Violet changed course as a line of tiny biters began going in front of Chomper one by one, only to be devoured by the massive purple sharptooth. Voices could still be heard from inside his belly._

" _I promise I do better if you let me out!"_

 _Violet pumped her legs. This was a nightmare in more ways that one._

" _ **Urgh… Why won't you digest?"**_

" _We're sorry, Mr. Path! Can you let us out?"_

 _Despite being her packmate, Violet couldn't help Path now. All of her attention was in escaping the stupidity that seemed to be spreading like a lava flow. That was when she tripped over something._

 _ **Crack!**_

 _She cried out as she felt her leg break, but for some reason she didn't feel any pain. Despite this an even worse fate awaited her._

" _There is Great Mendsy!"_

 _Violet cringed._ Oh no!

 _Tiny biters. Tiny biters as far as her eyes could see. Then behind them stood other dinosaurs. Spiketails… Threehorns… Two-footers… and they all were calling her name._

" _Mendsy!"_

" _Mendsy, help us!"_

" _Mendsy!"_

She woke up with a gasp.

"Well, that was disturbing," Violet said to herself. _I must've eaten something really bad._

"Bad sleep story?" Ducky's soft voice could be heard from a few meters away.

"You don't want to know," Violet replied, "Tiny biters. Ugh." She shivered at the thought of having to deal with that much stupidity again.

Ducky rubbed her eyes as she examined the sky to check the relative time. "Blue petals."

"Ma'am?" Violet asked, not understanding what Ducky was talking about.

"It can help you sleep. Blue petals taste like swamp mud, but they make the sleep stories go away…" She yawned. "Night, Mender. Don't let the tiny biters bite…" The snoring began nearly immediately.

"G'night," Violet muttered before going off to find Ducky's suggested remedy. _Why can't I just get a good night's sleep for once?_

Little did she know that her sleep story was beginning to become true.

* * *

"Please, flyer! Tell us more about this healer!"

The flyer hesitated as the female swimmer cradled the youngling in her hands. It was the bloody cough sickness. A death sentence, especially in the Mysterious Beyond.

"All I know is that tiny biters were talking about the healer. I don't know what kind she was… she might be a…"

"I don't give a damn if the healer is a fucking two-footer! Where is she?"

"Dear…" her mate tried to calm her.

"Don't 'dear' me, Flapper! We have lost four, I can't bear to lose another!"

The flyer bowed his head. "She is in that direction… past the barrens and across the River of the Blue Scaly Swimmers. That is where the tiny biters were."

The swimmer barely sobbed a 'thank you' as the swimmer family began to head in that direction, not caring about the darkness of the night or the potential terrors that lurked within. It was then that the flyer noticed other swimmers muttering amongst themselves and rising from their positions, other sick younglings on their backs.

"What have I started?" the flyer sighed as he prepared to fly off, "I hope you are as good as they say, Mender."

* * *

 **Several days later:**

"What do you think is going on?" Violet whispered to Ducky. They were tracking a swimmer herd but were still quite a ways away. "That other swimmer herd left right as this one arrived."

Ducky remained low to the ground as she whispered in Violet's ear, "This is most unusual, it is, it is. Do you smell anything odd, Finder?"

Spike continued to sniff the air for several moments as she pointed at his nose and made a coughing gesture with his body.

"Coughing sickness…" Ducky trailed off as she looked over the grass at the stricken pack, "Well, their coughing sickness does not spread to our kind, so that is good."

Spike moved closer to the others and whispered at Violet, "Now might be a good time to practice your leaf-eater, Mender. Care to take a listen?"

"I'll give it a try," Violet replied. She strained her ears to hear what the swimmers were saying. _I could make more sense out of smells before I was taught them than some of this._ Understanding only a few words of leaf-eater put her at a disadvantage.

" **Grunt… blarg… sick… blarg… need help… where Mender?"**

" **Mender… don't know kind… grunt."**

"Anything interesting, Mender?" Ducky inquired, "They're are a bit out of our hearing range and you have the best ears."

Violet looked at Ducky, about to disagree, when she rather inexplicably heard her name in leaf-eater. _Wait, what? Why do these swimmers know my name? I've never even talked to a leaf-eater before. Well, if you don't count former leaf-eaters... I'm in so much trouble, aren't I?_

"I think we have a problem," Violet replied, "I think they might be talking about _me_."

Ducky and Spike looked at one another as they rushed forward ahead of Violet, attempting to get within earshot.

" **She needs to be here! My youngling is dying!**

" **We don't even know who this Mender is! Do you think the flyer was lying?"**

" **She has to be here! We need a healer!"**

Ducky froze as she listened to the words of the swimmer. With more than a little hesitation she turned back towards Violet. It was as if she was not sure what she was hearing was real.

"Was I right?" Violet asked.

Spike took in a deep breath. "I think we have a problem."

* * *

 _Ah, there she is. I wonder what took them so long._

Littlefoot carefully waved from behind a row of bushes as Spike and Violet came into view. Normally this would not be necessary as their scent could be detected on the wind, but it was a courtesy on account of Violet's lack of smell.

Violet was now desperately wishing Ducky had gone back with her instead of Spike. _Why she thought she should keep listening to the swimmers is beyond me; Finder could have done that just as well_ , she complained to herself. "So do you want to explain this or should I?" Violet asked Spike. _Please do it. It'll give me more time to run if I get in trouble._

Spike blinked before focusing on Littlefoot. "Seeker, we may have a problem."

Littlefoot snorted. "I kind of figured that when you two were debating who was going to explain things." He then looked at Violet. "What did you hear, Mender?"

 _Is it too late to run now?_ "Um, well..." Violet struggled to find a way to explain what she heard. _There's no good way to say this, is there?_ "I think the swimmers might have heard about me." She unconsciously shifted her weight to turn around and run if she had to. _Please don't hate me._

Littlefoot may have been prepared for many eventualities, but this was not one of them. After blinking twice at the obviously uncomfortable fastbiter's words he turned towards her counterpart. "Finder, what did you hear?"

"They know about her, and they know that she is a healer. One of the swimmers said that…"

"Those fucking tiny shits! We should have eaten them all!" Cera roared, as the sound of panicking swimmers could be heard in the distance. Littlefoot merely rolled his eyes as he waved the others off from the hunt.

"Well, I suppose the hunt can wait. There are still fish in the stream." Littlefoot glared at Cera and Taunt. "How about you two begin fishing for all of us?"

Taunt placed his hands on his hips. "But it was…"

"She is your mate." Littlefoot smiled. "We will join you once this is dealt with…"

Violet looked from Littlefoot to Cera. _What just happened? Um, maybe I should've volunteered to go with them. Darn it._

"So the little shits talked, but how did the swimmers find out?" Littlefoot pondered for a moment.

"Maybe they learned our language from the valley? It would help the valley if they knew our language," his mate's voice offered uncertainly.

Breeze sighed. "Great… that's all that we need. Sap-suckers who know our tongue."

Spike groaned. "Well, maybe they heard indirectly? Maybe a fastrunner told them?"

"Maybe we ask them?" Petrie offered, which earned a few chuckles from the assembled fastbiters. But they didn't notice the look on their leader's face.

"Hmm… it wouldn't be the stupidest thing that we have done."

"So how are we going to that?" Violet wondered aloud.

Littlefoot smiled. "Alright, Mender, let's go have a chat with the swimmers. It has been quite a long time… although…"

That was when a familiar scent reached his sniffer. The sound of trampling grass followed shortly thereafter.

Littlefoot turned. "Just who we need on this mission. Haven, are you ready to have a discussion with some swimmers?"

* * *

"Cough…. akk..."

Wave took notice of the child's cough as if it were an apparition or a bad sleep story. She may have never had children, her body wouldn't allow it, but she had to remain strong for her sisters in their time of need.

Her nieces and nephews did not have much time.

"Mender!" she bellowed, "Mender the healer, we need your aid! Please! Our children are sick!"

"Who's Mender, Aunt Wave?"

Wave tried her best to remain calm as the question of her niece reached her ears over the sobs of the parents. "She is someone who is going to make you better, little one." She tried her best to smile kindly, but the wetness in her eyes gave her away.

Dash glanced behind her to make sure her siblings weren't listening. "We're going to die, aren't we?" she asked.

Wave stopped and carefully touched her niece's snout. "Listen to me, Dash. No one is going to die here. We are going to find Mender, and she is going…"

"SHARPTEETH!"

 _And here we go,_ Violet thought when she heard the panicked shouts that announced that she and Ducky were in the area. "Are you sure this was a good idea?" she asked her friend.

Wave turned around only to see an adolescent tyrannosaurus and several other fastbiters coming from all directions. They were surrounded. There was no escape.

"It is as good an idea as any. It is, it is," Ducky answered before clearing her throat, " **Do not worry. We are not going to eat you today."**

Dash hid behind her aunt, more than a little freaked out. _Sharpteeth aren't supposed to be able to talk to us._

Wave gulped as her mind reluctantly put together the clues before her. _Talking sharpteeth… not killing us…_ "You… you must be the Seven."

Littlefoot stepped forward. **"Indeed we are. You are in our territory, swimmers. May I ask why?"**

 _Did you really need to ask that, sir?_ Violet wondered, _I could have sworn Haven had heard enough to tell you that._

"We.. um…" Wave began before her sisters interrupted.

"Our children are sick! We were told that a healer was here."

"Please, is Mender in this place?"

Littlefoot looked at Mender with an odd expression. "Well, Mender, I think the tiny biters just found you some more patients."

Violet couldn't resist the urge to groan and hide her face in her claws. _Oh, sure. Single me out. Don't ask the real healers, including the one standing_ right next to me _!_

" **We know where Mender is, but first…"** Ducky began.

"Oh, thank goodness!"

"Please take us there!"

"Help us…"

" **SILENCE!"**

The swimmers were nearly frozen into silence by Littlefoot's roar. The signs of panic were now again present. It was then that Ducky gave her leader a glare.

"Perhaps I should handle this, Seeker."

Violet looked back and forth between them. _Okay, this is rather chaotic... Yikes._

Littlefoot sighed for a moment, but quickly nodded his acquiescence to the former swimmer's request.

" **We have some healers in our pack… and Mender is one of them,"** Ducky began, as the swimmers gasped in fear, **"I take it that whoever told you about Mender did not tell you that piece of information?"**

Ducky sighed. "Should I translate for you, Mender?"

"Would it help?" Violet asked, "Do they even have a leader? If I tell them who I am, what's to stop them from acting like tiny biters and rushing me?"

Ducky stared at the swimmers as she spoke into Violet's ear, "They aren't going anywhere. If they do run… the pack would eat well." She sighed. "We need to know how far this has gone. How many people know. They may be willing to talk to the healer that they are seeking."

"Okay," Violet said nervously, "Could you try to explain to them not to start acting like their kids when they're healthy, first?" _I really can't handle adults acting like children when they're bigger than I am. I understand desperate parents, my brother definitely acted like one, but even he didn't panic like this. What have I gotten myself into?_

Ducky nodded before saying something that Violet could barely understand.

" **Swimmers...grunt...calm...bellow...Mender...talk…. Bellow."**

Ducky paused as the swimmers nodded and looked around nervously. "Ready, Mender."

"Should we check to see what they want me for first?" Violet asked, "That would be a good way to get them to tell us what we want to know. I help them; they explain where they heard all this from."

Ducky nodded. "That sounds like a good idea, Mender. But these words are your own. They want to hear from _you_."

"You're translating word for word?" Violet asked, surprised.

Ducky nodded, an uncharacteristically stern look on her face as she stared at the swimmers.

Violet took a calming breath, not liking how much attention was now aimed at her. "Okay..." she said, deciding to talk like she would have had the swimmers been able to understand her, "So, what's wrong? What do you need me for?"

" **Bellow...what matter? What do… bellow… have purpose?"** was what Violet heard as Ducky supposedly repeated her words. It did not take long for the swimmers to respond.

"Please help us. Our children have the bloody cough sickness. So many have already died, and Mender is our only hope! The flyer said that she never fails!" Ducky repeated back as she gave Violet a sideways glance.

"I'm going to hurt that flyer," Violet grumbled, "Do NOT translate that."

Ducky nodded and then gestured that she was ready again, sending a kind smile Violet's way.

"Do you think you can convince them to let me see one of the kids, preferably one that's typical of the ones that are sick? I kinda want to know just how bad it is now," Violet said hesitantly, knowing she was asking quite a bit. _If they're all but dead, there's nothing I can do but make them comfortable._ Fortunately for the swimmers, Violet's definition of 'all but dead' was the same as her brother's, which was 'not breathing'.

Ducky nodded and then began to emit a series of bellows and grunts to make Violet's request. Over the next few moments there was some raised voices amongst the swimmers before one of the children darted from the adults and nearly collided with Ducky in her attempt to avoid her mother's grasp.

"I am Dash, Um, which one of you is Mender?" Dash belatedly realized she hadn't figured that out before running out into the open. _Mom is gonna kill me for this._

Ducky was careful not to smile in the fastbiter way, knowing that could panic the poor child, but instead gestured towards her violet counterpart, giving her a slight nod.

" **This is Mender, young one. But I am Ducky."** She was careful to use her leaf-eater name. **"I used to be a swimmer too until the Stone of Cold Fire happened. We will examine you together. We will, we will."**

"Can Mender not talk to us?" Dash asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

" **She is still learning your language, dear,"** Ducky answered as calmly as possible, though the scent the small swimmer was giving off made her want to frown, **"I can translate, though."**

"So what do I do?" Dash asked after a moment of feeling awkward, having never been around a healer before.

" **Just be calm and stand still. We need to get a good smell of you and..."** Ducky gestured towards the mother. **"Can you tell us about how Dash has been?"**

The swimmer hesitated. "She hasn't been coughing as much as her brothers and sisters. I think she might be fine just like Flux's children."

Ducky looked at Violet with a sad expression. "Not if what I am smelling is right…"

"Haven, she's right there," Violet hissed, not liking how they were talking around the sick swimmer. It felt too much like how her parents used to talk around her before outright explaining that she was smell-blind to her and her siblings.

"She can't understand our language, Mender," Ducky answered as she sniffed the swimmer again, noting the scent of fear, **"It's alright, dear. You do not need to fear us."**

"What exactly do you smell, Haven?" Violet asked, not for the first time regretting her own limitations.

Ducky looked at the female swimmer a moment. **"Take a deep breath and then breathe out please."** She then looked at Violet as she sniffed the results. "The sickness scent is there… but it also has something else. It smells wrong."

"Wrong how?" Violet asked, "There's something you're not telling me." _Yes, I'm more emotional, but I'm not stupid, Haven._

Ducky grimaced. "I am not entirely sure, but I smell her blood in her breath, and it smells _wrong_. Could… could the coughing sickness lead to blood sickness?"

"Are you asking me? You're the expert, Haven. I've gotten sick in some weird ways before, so maybe..." Violet immediately cut herself off before she started rambling and just speaking her thoughts again. _Why do I have a bad feeling the answer is 'yes'?_

Ducky shook her head. **"Okay, Dash. Thank you for being brave. I know running to sharpteeth was not an easy thing to do. Go back to your mother and ask her to send us your brothers and sisters one by one. We need to smell them and find out what is going on."** She smiled in the fastbiter way by raising her tail. **"Can you do that for me?"**

Dash nodded. "Okay, Miss Ducky." She turned and hurried back to her visibly anxious mother.

Ducky looked back at the others. "Go ahead and get Stern Claw… and Ponder, you should be here as well."

Within moments Littlefoot had nodded to Ruby and gave the gesture for Petrie to summon the others. He knew that even though he was the leader of the pack, Ducky was the leader of the healers.

Violet's head jerked from Littlefoot to Ducky and back a couple of times. "Did you just...? Wha... How?" she stammered, entirely confused.

Ducky looked back to Violet as Ruby sprinted in their direction. "Remember what I said about how rank was not everything, Mender?" She paused. "Do not worry about it, Mender. Let's just focus on making the kids better."

"Is there anything we can do about Dash?" Violet asked, now certain the girl was worse off than she was expected to be.

Ducky did not answer as Ruby came running up to them. "What is it?"

Ducky sighed. "Coughing sickness, but I think it has spread to the blood in one of them."

Ruby's face grew dark. "So that one will soon be food, then. What about the others?"

Violet's look of shock rapidly morphed into a protective glare. _You don't just give up on people. If she's willing to keep fighting I'll do what I can to make sure Dash makes it._

Ducky did not have time to answer before the next child came by. A male.

"Do you mind translating?" Violet asked Ducky, her words now having an edge they usually lacked, especially with a senior pack member within earshot.

Both Ruby and Ducky stopped for a moment at Violet's request. Ducky gave Violet a questioning look as she opened her mouth. But that was when Ruby raised a hand. "Proceed, Mender. We will translate." It was spoken as an order, not as an accepted request.

"Hi, I'm Mender," Violet introduced herself through Ducky's translation, "What's your name?" _This might work better if I get to know them a bit first. That always worked when I met new adults, especially when I was scared._ _Prowler's dad actually did this with me when I was introduced to him; his son definitely didn't learn to do that._

The male swimmer cowered in fear at the purple sharptooth in front of him. The only thing that prevented him from bolting was the encouragement of Dash and his mother, **"Hi.. Hi, Mender. I'm Bolt."**

 _And I thought my hatching name was unoriginal,_ Violet thought. "Hi, Bolt. How are you feeling?" _There is no way he's letting my sniffer near him unless I get him to calm down._

" **I have-"** The swimmer coughed uncontrollably for several moments, answering the question for him. **"Sorry."**

"Nothing to be sorry about. Happens to everyone." _I should know. Got sick more often than Staza, and that can almost be considered a challenge. Sorta went along with nearly starving to death,_ Violet mentally rambled, _What am I doing? Focus!_

"Should we get the next one?" Ruby inquired.

"Not yet," Violet answered, "He's barely calmed down. And yes, I know I'm slow." _But if we don't want Bolt here living up to his name..._ She directed her attention back to the swimmer. "Bolt, would it be alright if I smelled you a bit like we did your sister?"

Bolt shifted uneasily, but then quickly nodded. This sharptooth had done nothing to lose his trust.

"Okay, now. Just hold still for a moment." Violet slowly moved a bit closer to Bolt and even more slowly sniffed him. _No sudden movements; he'd panic same as I would._

Bolt clinched his eyes shut as the fastbiter sniffed around him, her hot breath lashing him with her predatory scent. He barely was able to keep still.

 _He's definitely sick,_ Violet thought, _but I'm not smelling much of anything as far as blood is concerned..._ "You smell anything, Haven?" _If your sniffer doesn't work from there I might not be the only smell-blind one here._

Ducky hesitantly gave a sniff. "No blood sickness here." She sighed. "What now, Mender?"

"I guess we check the next one," Violet said before turning back to Bolt, "Okay, Bolt. Good job. You can go back to your mother now." _I think I just found out what I'd be like as a swimmer…_

Ducky repeated her statement and waved another swimmer forward.

" **I'm Azul, Miss Mender,"** a small female swimmer greeted with a bow. It was then that Ducky could see a line of small swimmers stretching all of the way to the adults.

"Looks like we have a lot more to check," Ruby muttered as she glanced at the rest of her pack, "What have we gotten ourselves into?"

"At least they're smarter and better behaved than the tiny biters," Violet said after taking a look at the line herself and turning back to her current patient, "Okay, Azul. Can you hold still for me, hon?" _If I keep at this I'm going to start sounding like Staza. Well, she did a pretty good job of keeping me calm a lot, so that might might not be a bad thing..._

Azul nodded. She did not seem to have much hesitation. Perhaps Violet's fair treatment of the previous two siblings had begun to have an effect. She only barely heard what Ruby whispered to Ducky.

"A healer's tongue. That is not something we taught her."

"There we go," Violet told Azul when she finished sniffing, "All done. You can go back to your family, Azul." _At least there's some good news. She smells like her brother. Dash, though... what am I going to do for her?_

* * *

Littlefoot laid down in front of the meeting area with a weary expression. Within moments the rest of his companions joined him. Only Chomper was absent, keeping watch over the swimmers as a promise of protection. A situation that would have seemed laughable earlier that morning.

"So Path is protecting a herd of swimmers, Mender is now known to the entire Mysterious Beyond as a healer for the ages, we have no less than twenty baby swimmers to somehow heal, and a flyer somewhere that we need to kill." Littlefoot groaned. "Did I miss anything?"

Silenced reigned for several moments as Cera spared her pack leader a glance. "All due respect, Seeker, you sound like me in the morning."

Littlefoot shook his head. "And the swimmers said that the flyer heard the tale from tiny biters… tiny biters…"

Taunt opened his mouth but promptly closed it. He could tell that now was not the time. Instead he took a quick glance at the four healers, with a particular focus on Violet. Ruby's head remained raised assertively, though the slightest twitch of her hand showed that she was tempted to comfort her mate. Cera was merely looking at him to make sure that he didn't say anything stupid. Despite the sudden urge, he restrained it for a moment. However, that was when Ducky and Violet's expressions caught his eye.

Violet looked utterly exhausted, with a scent of worry radiating from her. Though, he noticed with a sniff, worry directed at someone close to her.

 _The children. She truly cares._

Ducky, meanwhile, had a somewhat conflicted expression. She was situated a bit in front of Violet as was her right by rank, but she was carefully avoiding eye contact.

 _Oh. I bet Mender doesn't even realize…_

"How about we start with how to heal the children first?" Taunt began carefully, surprising several of his packmates, "The murdering of the flyer and tiny shits can come later."

Littlefoot nodded. "I don't think killing the messengers will do any good at this point now that the word is out, but yes, let's start with the children." He looked up at Ducky. "Haven, what is the situation with the swimmers? Is it something that we can fix?"

Ducky hesitated for a moment, briefly glancing at Violet before responding, "One of the swimmers has blood sickness from the coughing sickness. The others only have the coughing sickness." She gestured for a moment as if trying to contemplate something. "Blue Petals and Rot Plants can help, but I am not sure about swimmers."

"We usually eat them, not save them," Ruby admitted before quickly added, "Except for when we were in the Valley, of course."

 _Would there be really that much difference between us and the swimmers?_ Violet wondered, _If something works for the tiny biters I'd expect it to work for anyone._

Littlefoot looked at Cera, who took this as an opportunity to speak. "Well, I didn't really smell anything special on most of them. That one is certainly going to be food soon, no hope for her; but the others we might be able to save. Assuming the Rot Plants work."

Violet did her best to keep her anger from making her say things she'd later regret, but it didn't do anything for her thoughts. _Staza would have my head if she heard me say any of that,_ she thought after her mental tirade ended, _And honestly so would everyone else._

"You look troubled, Mender."

Violet visibly shrank back, a bit alarmed after her recent thoughts.

"Is something on your mind? Did you notice anything else about the swimmers?"

"N-not really, except that the kids are better behaved than the tiny biters ever were," Violet replied mostly calmly. Even if she'd been completely calm just having Littlefoot looking in her direction unnerved her slightly.

Littlefoot paused for a moment, before sighing and rubbing his head in exhaustion. "No, there was something else. You smell upset. Is there something that we are missing?"

"Nothing relevant," Violet replied. _Please just leave me alone. It's bad enough with Haven. I don't need the rest of the pack knowing everything just by asking._

Littlefoot paused for a moment before speaking. "Alright, let's gather some Rot Plants as those will be the easiest to find."

"Awww… I wanted to go to the Land of Many Rivers," Taunt jokingly whined.

"Yes, and if you keep talking I might just chase you there!" Cera retorted.

Littlefoot cleared his throat. "And I think Haven and Mender should probably give the healing plants. Haven can read her old kind better than we can, and they are expecting Mender. Any questions?"

Violet kept quiet. Her only question was one she always had. _Why do these things keep happening to me? I just want to be able to disappear, so why do I keep getting singled out?_

"Alright, dismissed," Littlefoot affirmed with a tired voice, "Hopefully soon we can get back to hunting swimmers instead of healing them."

As the others began to follow their leader's directives, there was an odd sort of confusion in the air. As each pair of mates began to pair off in order to perform their Rot Plant search, Ducky and Violet were left to conduct their search alone. A veil of silence hung around them.

 _Would it be better if I said something? Or would she just decide to bite me?_ Violet wondered. The awkwardness that had been there since checking the swimmers was starting to get to her.

"I guess… we should help find some," Ducky said softly, being careful to keep her gaze in a neutral position, as if her companion's rank was uncertain.

Violet looked at Ducky for a moment, confused. _Oh. Oh, you've got to be kidding me. Not this rank thing again._

Ducky hesitated for a moment, unsure of herself, before quickly setting off for the forest in order to find Rot Plants. Leaving Violet alone with her thoughts.

 _How am I supposed to fix this without embarrassing both of us?_ Violet wondered.

* * *

The pile of healing plants drove away all other scents with its overpowering stench. It was beside this pile that Ducky and Violet toiled, quickly crushing them into a paste and putting it on green leaves, trying to make a tolerable tasting meal out of the unappealing mass. This was something that Violet would have to take Ducky's word for, as to her all leaves tasted disgusting.

"Got any more Rot Plants?" Ducky asked as she wrapped the leaves around a clump of the unappealing mass.

"Last one," Violet said, handing it to Ducky. _I think that's the most she's said to me at one time since we started._

Ducky crushed the mushroom into the paste for several moments before wrapping the green leaves around it with a grimace. "I guess that is at good as it is going to get. Yep, yep, yep."

"I'm starting to wish I was entirely smell-blind," Violet said. _This stuff smells even worse when you add it to something else. How is that possible?_

Ducky held her snout. "To think that I used to eat this stuff when I was a swimmer!" She looked up at Violet with an odd expression. "Who to treat first?"

"You're asking me?" Violet asked, "You're the one in charge, Haven." _Did you forget that? Even if you're not sure about our ranks, you're in charge of Ponder where healing is concerned, for ancestors' sakes._

Ducky hesitated for several moments before carefully staring at a point above Violet's eyes and giving a slight bow. "That… was unclear." She then moved into a more confident posture. "The really sick one needs it more, but what if we do not have enough? Should we waste it on one that already smells dead?" The conflicting emotions in her voice was obvious.

"She's not dead yet, Haven," Violet growled.

Ducky stared at her for several moments before gesturing towards Petrie to send for the first of the swimmers. It was agreed that each youngling would be treated one by one in the wooded area. The last thing that they needed was panicking swimmers trampling them.

"You're upset with me?" Ducky asked with some confusion.

"No, not with you," Violet said more calmly, almost exhausted. She didn't want to fight with her friend, even verbally.

Within moments the swimmer at the focus of their previous discussion came through the grass. Despite her excitement and quick movements, there was a noticeable swaying to Dash's posture.

"The healing plants are ready?" Dash's soft voice asked, "The flyer said…" She was interrupted by a coughing fit that lasted for several moments. Both Ducky and Violet were tempted to comfort her but hesitated out of fear of causing panic. The look that Ducky gave Violet conveyed her thoughts however.

"If we run out I'll find more. I think I remember seeing some on the way here when I was in Prowler's pack," Violet said. _It's just a bit further away than you'd probably like; we'd have to be out there overnight if we left right now._

Dash watched as the two fastbiters talked in their own language for several moments. Even without a fastbiter's sense of smell or knowledge of their tongue, she could see their expressions. The one that the adults had called Mender looked resolute, whereas the other healer looked downcast. It did not take long for her to assume what was being said.

She had been battling chills for the last several moments and had been dizzy since shortly after the healers had gone to get the healing plants. This was exactly how some of the others had felt before...

" **I... I can't be helped, can I?"**

Violet gave Ducky a look that strongly suggested she understood what Dash had said. An apologetic nod from Ducky was followed by a quick translation.

"Let's do what we can. I'll look for those plants I mentioned tomorrow." _I'll go by myself if I have to._

" **You're still breathing, aren't you?"**

The small swimmer stared at the other healer as she nodded her head.

" **Then we will do everything that we can to keep you breathing. Now can you tell us how you are feeling right now?"**

"Thank you," Violet practically sighed. _I've had almost everyone I've known give up on me; I'm not doing it to someone else._ She did her best to compose herself so as not to worry Dash.

"I feel cold…" Dash admitted, "And I feel like how I do when I swim too fast… and…" she was interrupted by another coughing fit. Ducky translated quickly as she gave Violet a glance.

"This is what Traval felt like before he stopped swimming," she finally finished, using the euphemism of her kind for death.

"I'm leaving. Now," Violet said, "We're definitely going to need more of these plants."

Ducky held up a hand for her to wait a moment. **"Let Mender give you the healing plants, Dash. I am sure it will make you feel better."**

"You're going to be fine, Dash," Violet said softly, handing over the healing plants, slightly more than Ducky would consider the correct amount. _Hopefully Haven won't notice._

Dash quickly swallowed the bundle in one bite before having another coughing fit.

" **This tastes awful!"**

"It's a plant. They all taste awful," Violet said, fighting back a chuckle at Dash's reaction.

Ducky said a few grunts which may have been a faithful translation or something else entirely for all Violet knew. But before Violet left, Ducky grasped her hand.

"Four eyes are better than two, I will help you look for them, I will, I will."

* * *

 **The present:**

"What are we doing? They are sharpteeth!"

"Shut up! You know they are the valley's friends."

"I remember what happened to our other sharptooth friends, idiot! They helped Chomper and his parents when they…"

"Enough! "

Cynnil tried to ignore the banter behind them as a group of threehorns appeared to be going out of their way to defend her pack. She could not ignore the shadow of a fastbiter looming like a spector on the other side of his fallen sister. She also did not need to look up from Mender to predict that he was glaring at the agitated domeheads shouting arguments at the threehorns.

 _Well, better him glaring at them than interrupting us._

She looked up at Orchid, whose purple face almost looked ghostly at the horrors of what might soon be.

He jumped when her hand touched his shoulder.

"Take a break, Orchid. Buse and I can handle it for now."

The purple fastrunner looked at his pack leader as if she had asked him to jump off of a cliff, his beak searching for the right words to protest his orders.

"If Mender is going to have a chance to live through this then we need to take turns," Cynnil spoke slowly as Buse quietly nodded and took Orchid's spot next to Mender's snout, "If we are exhausted then we cannot do what is necessary."

"Cynnil… she… we need to…"

And that was when the yawn cut him off. As soon as his eyes closed with the opening of his jaws, he finally gave up the appearance of being collected and ready. As his shoulders sagged the truth became obvious. He was utterly exhausted.

Orchid smiled grimly. "We will take care of it, Orchid. You focus on sleep right now so that the rest of us can sleep later."

He finally agreed with a silent, defeated nod. With little more than a few moments separating his protest from his compliance, the fastrunner quietly laid down near a large tree. His eyes were closed within moments.

"Can we save her?"

Verant glared at Buse. "You'd better," he said, growling angrily.

Cynnil ignored the fastbiter's tone as she tapped her beak to silence Buse. "She is getting the best care." She then allowed herself to examine her friend's body to give a true assessment to her packmate.

The body of the fastbiter had been a symbol in many ways of the little biter triumphing over adversity, of hope triumphing over despair. For against the body's numerous past scars there was also the plumpness of hard-earned muscle and a generous amount of fat. A luxury her body had only somewhat recently been able to enjoy. And now, as her lungs struggled to keep her shivering, unconscious body alive, she could see an odd paleness on her snout and a distinct scent in the air.

The smallest hint of death.

Cynnil reluctantly turned to her friend before giving the softest whisper. "I don't know."

Never mind how obvious a truth is there is something about putting it into words that gave it a sense of finality. A sense of inevitability. As Cynnil looked out at the landscape around them: the trees, the greenery, the life… it stood in stark contrast to what was being lost right next to her. A symbol of resilience who had long dreamed of seeing the valley was now doomed, it seemed, to die in the valley. All due to a mission of mercy for a illness that was not there. It was no comfort to Cynnil that Mender probably would have found the absurdity nostalgically familiar.

 _We will make sure this is just another part of your song, Mender! This is not your last verse!_

Though as she looked out at the distant faces peering over at them. The domeheads… the threehorns… even a few longnecks… she couldn't help but wonder if their own song might end soon. Some of those looks were curious or compassionate, but the glares of the domeheads indicated something else entirely.

 _Maybe that is what whoever did this had in mind. 'He who divides a pack, need not hunt a pack.'_

That was when something else caught her eye. _What are those swimmers doing?_

" **Ma'am, you need to stop there. No harm is to come to…"**

" **She saved the lives of my children. She at least deserves a goodbye."**

Cynnil felt a chill go down her spine as the swimmer glared at the two threehorns, her unimposing green body standing in contrast to the natural trampling machines that stood in front of her. But there was a firmness in her eyes that could not be matched. It was the determination to perform one's duty. To honor the living while one still lived.

Cynnil took a deep breath before holding up a hand. "It's alright. Let her through."

"Are you sure?" Verant asked, eying the swimmer suspiciously.

Cynnil slowly nodded as she already knew the answer to her question. "Do you smell any deceit on her?"

"You can sincerely want to kill someone," Verant said.

Cynnil looked into the swimmer's eyes as she glared at the threehorns. That was when one of the swimmers tugged on their mother's hing leg with a mournful look.

" **Is Mender dying, Momma?'**

Cynnil had to look away. "The only thing she wants to kill is the person who did this."

"Then she'll have to get in line," Verant said, nodding towards the swimmer respectfully.

Upon seeing the other fastbiter move aside the threehorns decided to listen to the hidden runner. Orders from Topps or not, getting into a fight with an angry mother and a fastbiter was not a possibility that either relished.

The mother swimmer approached Mender cautiously, expression almost disbelieving. "I heard our mourning cries hurt your ears, Mender, so I'll refrain. But I still mourn for you."

Cynnil watched, transfixed, as little swimmers moved forward one by one. Each one of them moved towards the predator without hesitation or fear. But Cynnil could not remember any of them.

"Easy, guys, we just brought some healing leaves."

Cynnil turned away from the touching scene to see two small dinosaurs approach with rather familiar leaves. Though, much like a pair of wings on a spiketail, these verdant offerings would do letter to alleviate Mender's suffering. There was no need to treat pain when the patient was unconscious. But that was when she noticed their snouts… they were colored like rainbows.

 _It's their children! Maybe one of them might know some way to fix what we cannot._

Cynnil looked over at Buse who was silent and looking at something behind her.

" **Easy, fastbiter. They are the valley's healers. Well, the children of our healers. They are away at the moment."**

Cynnil sighed in relief at the adult swimmer's words and quickly translated them for the protective fastbiter. Just as before, Verant nodded and took a position behind the young ones. Whether they liked it or not they had just been added to his zone of protection.

The two rainbowfaces appeared not to notice as they slowly approached the fallen fastbiter in something between a shuffle and a slow walk. As they moved forward their beaks were clasped closed and their expressions were blank. It reminded her of what Mender had once said about her one encounter with the adult rainbowfaces: " _their embarrassing questions were bad enough, but they had to be so… so… calm about it! At least if they had laughed at me I would have been used to that!_ " As it was the children did not appear cold in their demeanor as their scent gave away something akin to mourning. But their eyes… it was like two sharpteeth examining a potential hunt. Cold and calculating. But maybe that is what they needed right now. Cynnil and Buse could not exactly be objective when their best friend was dying right in front of them.

Cynnil was smart enough not to pin hopes on the children, however. At least not in a form that Verant could readily understand. Though sacrilegious, it was better that Verant's angst and rage be directed at Fate than innocent children.

" **Do either of you children know of any way to fix this? I owe her so much…"**

Cynnil watched as the elder swimmer looked down at the two children mournfully. Against her almost begging demeanor, neither child nodded in the affirmative. There would be no rainbowface magic here.

" **All we could find was our parent's store of 'no pain leaves'. We are sorry, Ms. Swimmer."**

Cynnil swallowed hard as the swimmer closed her eyes and nodded her understanding of what the child had said. It was then that Datum laid down his portion of leaves at Mender's feet. As she watched his beak move she could make out the words that he whispered.

" **And we are sorry, Ms. Mender."**

She had to look away at that point. She was a leader and she had to keep her cool for the sake of them all. Even when staring into the eyes of hopelessness.

"There's Spotter!"

Cynnil jerked her head so fast that it made her disoriented. It only took her a second to see what Buse had noticed. A rapidly approaching brown flyer with several valley flyers in tow.

"Why do I get the feeling that we're about to get more bad news?" Verant asked, following the hidden runners' gaze to where the flyers were approaching.

Cynnil watched, transfixed, as the flyer approached at a breakneck speed. The other flyers quickly dispersed, giving the agitated flyer a free path down to the ground. In the end he dove at the ground with all of the velocity of a striking predator before suddenly opening his wings and landing with a decisive thud near the tree where Orchid was sleeping, causing him to jump with fright at the sudden intrusion. Without missing a beat he then bounded towards the dinosaurs in an awkward quadruped run that would have amused Cynnil if the situation was not dire. It took him only a few seconds to reach them.

And when he did he merely stared at Mender in mute shock before looking at the others with an almost pleading expression.

Cynnil swallowed as she tried to compose her words. "She got hit with the Orange Death. We are doing all that we can, but the rest is up to her."

She watched as the flyer stared at her blankly for several moments before looking once more at the fallen fastbiter. His former packmate. His friend.

"Is attacker dead?" Spotter spoke in a cold, icy monotone. For once Cynnil was glad that he was no longer staring at her.

"He escaped thanks to some stupid threehorns," Verant said, trying not to descend into an angry tirade.

The resulting silence was deafening as the flyer stared blankly at the verdant valley in front of him as if he were in a totally different place.

"We have flyers looking for the fastrunner, Petrie," another valley flyer carefully stated as he and another flyer landed closeby.

"A fastrunner." he repeated, "So Wrok is using fastrunners now. So there were none of his hidden runners here."

"Some of Ignis's were around here, though," Verant said, "We each thought the other was the enemy, and, well, things got ugly."

Cynnil blinked. _This is not good._ "How ugly?"

Verant sighed. "One dead. Their idea of investigating something unknown was to try to ambush that something. I reacted to the threat, and now one's dead."

"So Wrok try to make us ruin alliance with Ignis and blame valley for attack?" Petrie noted as the eyes grew more focused. In Ignis's mind she could see the flyer put all of the pieces into place. "The rest live and talk to you?"

"They were who waved us down to warn you that something was wrong," a valley flyer noted, still in shock of seeing how wrong things had gotten in his absence.

"Then Wrok fail," Petrie said coldly before looking in Verant's direction. "We will avenge her…"

Verant glared at Petrie, highly disagreeing with the flyer's implication.

"...injury," Petrie finished upon seeing Verant's gaze. Petrie's glance in her direction said it all however: _I'm sorry for your loss_. "Spotter will talk to Seeker. Wrok make first bite, but we will make the last."

And just like that he took off into the air without another word. He left with as much speed as he had arrived. No doubt ready to pay back Wrok for his brutal assault on their very own.

" **Petrie is saying that this is battle, isn't he? Just like before."**

Cynnil turned back towards the swimmer, realizing that she had forgotten she was even there. The swimmer's wide gesture in the direction of the memorial mound said it all. For the first time since the Battle for the Valley lives had been lost in an attack from the outside. Once more the valley would have to choose a side.

Cynnil nodded. **"Yes."**

Her eyes followed the swimmer children as they carefully organized the no pain leaves into little balls, just as if they had been training in the procedure. A quick correction from Axiom to one of their leaf balls confirmed the source of this knowledge.

The mother smiled at her children's quick handiwork. **"They all want to be healers like her. From what I have heard of your song it was before your time, Cynnil the Healer, but she saved all of my remaining children. There are certain debts that can never be repaid."**

Cynnil nodded. **"Can you tell us your part of her song? We will need to know it for when she… gets better."**

What she was greeted by in return was a smile that almost broke her heart. **"It would be my honor."**

* * *

 **Several years ago:**

The young swimmer's chest heaved with difficulty as a wet cough again escaped her throat. It was a cold reminder of the sickness that surrounded the swimmers, despite the steady improvement of the other younglings. Perhaps out of instinct or subconscious concern, the mother nudged her daughter in her sleep. Only then did her breathing return to a more regular, if still labored, cadence.

None of the swimmers saw the two pairs of yellow eyes staring at them from the darkness.

"She's getting worse," Violet whispered very softly, sounding quite loud to her own ears but almost unhearable by the swimmers nearby.

Ducky nodded. "The others sound better, though. She might be the only one of the swimmers to go to the Great Beyond in this place." Without wasting any more time she carefully examined her surroundings. Her sniffer was superior to Violet's, but not her ears. "What do you hear, Mender?"

"You and the swimmers. Not much else," Violet replied, "How do they sleep piled together like that?" _I don't remember crowding that close together with my siblings, but then again there's a lot of things I don't remember._

"All babies sleep like that, silly. It keeps them warm, yep, yep, yep!" Ducky answered in a soft whisper as she carefully gave the air a sniff, "There is one thing that I do not understand, Mender. You are not a swimmer. You were not raised as a swimmer. And you do not know their language yet… so why did you want to help them?"

"Is there a reason you don't?" Violet asked, her confusion mirroring Ducky's own.

Ducky sighed as she briefly stopped at the boundary of the pack's inner territory, the smell of five-day old excrement greeting her nose. "I used to be a leaf-eater, Mender. I still love my family, and we helped the valley. But we cannot help our food in our own territory. Otherwise what will we eat?"

"They're not from our territory, Haven. They rather specifically made a point of finding us, finding _me_. I don't think we're in any danger of starving. Trust me; I _know_ what that feels like," Violet replied, not really seeing Ducky's point. _It's not like we do this all the time._ "Plus, if we keep the little ones from dying they'll grow up to be something that's actually worth eating and possibly have kids of their own." _If she buys that I'm going to go get Ponder and Breeze; something would definitely be wrong with her._

"Well, you believe the first part of what you said," Ducky said with good humor, "And I do not blame you, Mender. I do not. But what will we do when others come? Or when someone we hunt starts asking for help? We got far away from the Great Valley for a reason…"

"Well, if it becomes a problem, I could just leave..." Violet suggested.

Ducky growled in annoyance despite her best efforts. "That is not what I meant, Mender! We had to get far away from the valley so that we could finally be what we are. I do not know how many now know about you, but I know many know about us… They know that we must kill and that we do, but we helped when we had to." She looked at her friend with tired eyes. "What do you want the Mysterious Beyond to think of you, Mender?"

"It can think whatever it wants. Last time I looked I was dependent on you guys to not starve to death. Hopefully everyone will eventually forget I exist," Violet said as the duo continued their forward motion, sounding rather irritated herself. _Why does everyone keep acting like I matter that much? I understand the tiny biters acting like that, but they're not really very smart. I don't even know healing as well as the others, so why is everyone noticing_ me _instead of them?_

"You don't mean that, Mender!" Ducky scolded in a harsh whisper, "Any fastbiter is dependent on others; that is why we have packs. Leap and the swimmers you helped to save sure will not forget that you exist anytime soon. How many dinosaurs can claim that?"

"Okay, now I'm confused. You were saying that helping the swimmers wasn't really a good thing. Now you're saying it's a good thing. Am I missing something again?" Violet could feel a bit of a headache coming on.

"It is a good thing that you help others," Ducky began with exasperation, "But you also need to help yourself. You keep on acting like you cannot do anything right, but you have helped more people than most do in their entire lives. But… with that…"

She hesitated for several moments as she moved her claws as if she were crawling through something, "...with that comes the need to decide what you want to do. If Seeker had ordered you to help hunt the younglings what would you have done?"

"Followed orders," Violet said as if were the most obvious answer possible, "What else would you have expected me to do?" _If you're not the pack leader you follow orders. It's that simple._

Ducky nodded as she sniffed the ground for several moments, "The pack missed out on a meal, you know? Seeker did not want you to betray your reputation."

"He didn't have to do that," Violet said, now feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Ducky was resolute. "A person's dignity is not something that should be trampled on. But this may create problems for us later." She then pointed to the east. "A small biter seems to have found our territory; but at least it is not a tiny biter."

"Are you _trying_ to make me want to kill this biter?" Violet asked, only halfway joking. _If it were tiny biters they'd be leaving with far fewer of them than they arrived with. I am NOT dealing with them again unless I have to._

"No, but if anything larger gets in, then I am sure the others will take care of it." Ducky sniffed the air carefully as she tucked her spear into a loop in her vines. "Shall we run? If we don't stop we should have the plants by morning, yep, yep, yep."

"Think you can keep up?" Violet asked. _I can probably outrun you now if I don't hit another tree._

Ducky smirked. "Is that a challenge, Mender? Let's run!"

Initially confused by Ducky's question, Violet was a bit slow to start off but soon caught up with her friend. _Did she do that on purpose? Sneaky little... I'll show her._ She put on another burst of speed intending to outpace Ducky.

* * *

 _Two of them are heading away from the pack. Interesting._

Neither of the two fastbiters noticed the pair of yellow eyes gleaming from the trees. The hidden runner to which they belonged had intentionally stood downwind. Though she did not understand the entirety of the conversation, she could determine a few facts.

 _Of course the Mender would be a member of this pack, and she is not alone. This is just what we need._

Cynnil did not make a sound as she sprinted to the east. Her leaders would need to be told of this.

They might just have found the healers that they needed.

* * *

 **Six hours later:**

"Yawn…. Damn, this is boring."

Taunt struggled to keep his eyes open as he examined the horizon in front of him. Even if he had the liberty to sleep the infernal snoring from Chomper would have kept him from his slumber. _Path could wake the dead with his sleep noises…_ He checked the sky once more to see it lighten slightly. Soon the Bright Circle would arise and he could finally catch up on his sleep. But that was when he saw it.

A flash of purple and green heading his way. The colors barely being discernable due to the Bright Circle's morning light.

"What's that?" With a violent shove he drove his body into Chomper's side, waking him partially.

"Sorry, Momma. I didn't mean to eat all of the longneck…"

Normally Taunt would have found this amusing but not today. "Wake your ass up, Path! We have company!"

The flashes of color soon resolved into two exhausted fastbiters, one of whom had barely stopped short of hitting a nearby tree.

"Heads up, Mender!" Path roared, inadvertently waking up the rest of the pack as the chorus of groans and grunts could attest to. Taunt, meanwhile, decided to sprint over to meet his two companions as they collapsed to the ground.

"You girls alright? Is someone following you?" Taunt carefully raised his spear as he ran behind them and carefully examined the lands beyond. That was when the exhausted breathing gave way to soft laughter.

"My legs," Ducky muttered with some amusement, "I think I left them by the river. They got tired. They did, they did."

"Are those the plants?" Ruby's voice suddenly called out as if the exhausted, collapsed fastbiters had not been noticed..

"Yes," Violet replied tiredly. She made a wobbly attempt to stand up before lying back down, too tired after running the entire day.

Ruby quickly grabbed some of the plants before sprinting off without a word. It was a most odd response that caught the notice of the new arrivals almost immediately.

"Goodness, how long did you two run?" Littlefoot's voice asked tiredly as he offered an arm to each of them to assist them to their feet, "You look like what happened to us after some of Thud's training sessions."

"Nothing that shouldn't have been normal for me," Violet replied between gasps, "I think I'm getting out of practice." _I shouldn't have had that much trouble standing back up. I used to be able to run a while longer._

Ducky rose, still trying to catch her breath. "Seriously? No wonder why nothing ate your old pack. Nothing could catch you." She sucked in a deeper breath. "Guess we all should work on that, actually."

"Um, why did Ponder rush off like that?" Violet asked worriedly once she'd caught her breath.

Littlefoot hesitated for a moment as he looked to the swimmers in the distance. "One of the swimmers is not doing so well."

"No," Violet whispered before rushing off in the same direction Ruby had gone. _No, Dash. I'm not letting you die on me._

Ducky began to walk that direction before she nearly fell over. Littlefoot and Spike both secured her arms at the same moment, causing her to look at Violet's retreating form sadly.

 _You cannot save them all, Mender. We did all that we could._

* * *

"How is she?" Violet asked as she approached Ruby and a barely conscious Dash. _Please don't be too late._

Ruby struggled to help the swimmer eat the plants, but Dash's weakened state prevented her from eating much of its unappetizing sap. This made the rose-colored fastbiter shake her head sadly.

"I don't think we can save her. She can't take in the healing plants."

The soft sobbing of the mother could be heard in the distance as the other swimmers looked on. It was obvious by their scents that their joy at having their younglings saved was being tempered by the knowledge of what fate had befallen one of their own. The scene certainly fit Violet's perspective as she considered the pain of the parent in front of her. A parent would do anything to save their children.

That was when an idea descended upon her mind.

"I'm sorry, Mender. But I don't think we can save this one. We can't save this one, I think."

"I've got an idea, but we should probably get Dash out of sight," Violet said surprisingly neutrally. _Remember, you're still talking to someone that outranks you by a whole lot,_ she reminded herself _._

Ruby looked at Violet with a confused expression, but followed along. " **We are groan… mumble.. something else. We will… grunt... to take… bellow... the forest."**

Violet couldn't understand much of what Ruby said, but after several exchanges between her and the mother Ruby finally gave Violet a nod to continue as she gestured towards the dense canopy of the forest. The two swiftly carried their fading patient into its dark abyss, being careful not to scratch Dash with their sharp claws. Within a few moments they were seated at the edge of the stream.

"What now, Mender?"

Ruby stared at Violet with confusion as the fasbiter closed her eyes for several moments as if to recall something deep inside. Then, without a word, Violet grabbed a handful of the healing plants and shoved their entire noxious mass into her mouth.

"Mender?"

The taste of bitterness collided a hint of pain and smoke to create a hellish taste in the fastbiter's mouth. However, she put all of that in the back of her mind despite the constant protests from everything in her instincts. She had to do whatever it took to help this youngling regardless of its species or fate. She was a healer, and it was her duty. She swallowed the disgusting plants without a moment's hesitation.

She felt it before she consciously realized what was happening. There was a sudden heaviness in her crop and a lurching in her gizzard as the putrid plant matter began to rise once more in her insides. Carefully forcing Dash's mouth open she did what instinct demanded.

Ruby watched in a mixture of surprise and horror as the violet fastbiter began to regurgitate the mass of healing plants into the young swimmers mouth. Despite the sheer absurdity of the situation, she couldn't help but be amazed at how Violet avoided biting the swimmer and how Dash accepted the partially digested gunk with all of the trust of a hatchling. If she hadn't known better she would have thought that Violet were a mother.

Violet pushed her head away from the sick child as she gasped for a breath of air. In that moment her mind was blank as the instincts of the moment overrode all competing obligations. Ruby seemed to pick up on her state immediately.

"Good, Mender; you got Dash to eat her healing plants. I am going to take her back to her mother now, okay?" Ruby spoke with a soft voice and careful pauses. It was the kind of voice one would use to speak to a hysterical person or a child. Or an upset parent.

"Don't tell anyone I did that. Please," Violet gasped, "They'll think something's wrong with me." _How did my mom do that when I was little?_

Ruby nodded as she carefully placed Dash on her back and proceeded to sprint out of the forest. Leaving Violet alone with her thoughts for a few moments.

 _Please let this work,_ Violet thought as she watched Ruby leave with Dash, _There's literally nothing else I can do now._

It did not take long for Ruby to return with a familiar green fastbiter. They arrived to find Violet staring at the ground, obviously lost in thought.

"Are you alright, Mender?" Ducky's soft voice called from closeby.

"I'm fine, Haven. I'm just tired." _In more ways than one._

Ruby lived up to her sharptooth namesake as she rubbed her chin in thought. "I never thought about feeding the swimmer like a momma. That was good thinking, Mender."

"You did what?" Ducky asked in surprise.

Violet gave Ruby a quick glare. _Can no one keep a secret around here?_ "Well, Dash was having trouble eating, so I helped her."

Ducky looked at Violet and then at Ruby, before again looking at Violet. "You did the right thing, Mender. But it is surprising that you could do it."

Ruby gave Violet an apologetic look for having thought aloud. "It is something that only mommies and daddies do. It is instinct."

"I got sick once when I was little; my mom took care of me," Violet said in explanation, "It's just something I remembered."

Ducky peeked through the trees. "And that might just save Dash. It might, it might."

Ruby offered Violet a sweet bubble after giving a slight bow to indicate it was not a ritual. "To get the bad taste out of your mouth."

"I'm starting to think leaf-eaters can't taste anything," Violet said as she took the sweet bubble from Ruby gratefully. _It might have helped Dash, but that sure tasted awful._

Ducky shrugged. "Believe it or not, they tasted great as a swimmer."

* * *

 **The present, the Barrens:**

Desolation. There was something to be said of the beauty to be found in scarcity. In how barren rock and simple landscapes could focus one's mind on the deeper truths of existence. And, under more normal circumstances, Nalan would have welcomed the tranquility found in his surroundings. However even the most devout found little to welcome when it came to bad news.

 _Damn fastrunner. I do not want to be the bearer of bad news to Questor._

Because as Nalan knew, he would be the one tasked with carrying out the punishment for failure.

Despite his misgivings he allowed his neck to stretch into the warm breeze, peering out from the crevice like a sapling rising from the soil. Against the backdrop of the sandstone pillar he had sight of everything for miles around: the stream, the mountains, the barren rock. It was only then, as the welcome wind soothed his anxious shoulders and neck, that he caught sight of something emerging from the stream. Something utterly out of place in the barren lands.

Something purple.

 _Thank Fate. I did not want the duty of murdering your family, fastrunner._

He hurled his body off of his perch without a sound before opening his wings in a flourish of movement. Without making a sound he quickly glided towards the fastrunner. When he finally landed with a thud moments later he tried not to be annoyed by the omnivore's surprise.

"So?"

The flyer's eyes watched the fastrunner with an unreadable, harsh glare. It was the glare of a predator.

"I.. I got her," the fastrunner said once he got over his startlement, "She should be dead by now."

The flyer nodded. "Good. Questor will be pleased that you did not fail, Sawyer. Your two daughters will be pleased as well."

"Is that it? Will you let them go now?" Sawyer asked worriedly.

Nalan forced himself to keep the emotion out of his face. Even if he had a choice in this matter he had to trust in Fate's plan, as declared by its messenger.

"That is up to _our_ leader," he said simply.

Sawyer sighed in resignation. There was little hope that Questor would release his daughters, but as a father he had to ask anyway. When he looked back up at the flyer he noticed that the flyer was no longer meeting his gaze.

Not even Fate could remove regret.

"Let's get you back to the scouting party," Nalan forced out, "Fate has gotten us this far; do not lose hope!"

He took flight without looking at the fastrunner's response. No flyer could outfly his regrets, but that didn't mean that Nalan couldn't try.

* * *

 **Wrok's territory:**

"I will alert Wrok and the other Deputies, do you need to drink or anything?"

Penol stiffened a bit, startled, before shaking her head.

Greenshade seemed to study the female for a moment before clicking her beak twice. Penol could only assume it was instructions for the guards as they began to fade into the dense foliage of the swamp.

"I told them to give you some space, but they will still guard you. If you need to drink the stream is over there," she pointed to her left, "and the relieving spot is right behind you. Make yourself comfortable."

And with that Greenshade bounded off into the bushes. She faded into the mysterious verdant maze just as quickly as the others.

 _What was I thinking?_ Penol asked herself once she was seemingly alone, _I'm just an assistant. What exactly did I think I was going to be able to do?_

It was then that the rustling of some leaves behind her reminded the hidden runner that she was not exactly hidden at the moment. The guards were still there, of course.

 _I guess she had a point,_ Penol thought, moving to the relieving area, _Um, this is going to be awkward..._

She saw the male out of her the corner of her eye and, not wishing to attract much attention to herself, took her position on the other end of the relieving spot. To where the scent of markings was the least intense.

 _Please tell me this isn't going to be like this all the time,_ Penol thought, suppressing a sigh, _If I'm never alone, I'll never be able to do my job..._

" **The feathers make the runner, but the runner preen' the feathers, a runner must be swift and hidden, no matt'r the rain or weather...**

Penol suppressed a laugh. _He can sing pretty well, but he'd be doing himself a favor if he forgot this song._ She subtly glanced in the guard's direction. _Should have known he was preening himself. If Wrok and Ignis think alike at all, he had better not be doing that when Wrok shows up, or else he'll be in huge trouble since he's supposed to be watching me._

She tried to not look like she was looking at the guard. _I wonder what that's like, not being held back by the Low Ways or bound to certain roles by the High Ways. He could choose to join any pack he wanted, choose the life he wanted. If he wasn't stuck in this doomed pack... like I am._

"I appreciate the audience; you look quite good yourself."

Penol practically tripped over herself, not knowing how to react. _Well, this is a problem. It's nice to be noticed, but this guy is_ rude _, this is extremely improper, and I've got a job to do. Which I probably have now put in a bit of jeopardy. How do I get out of this?_

As if to provoke the matter she noticed that the male had an odd sparkle in his eyes before he resumed his preening.

 **What is prettier than a 'andsome lady, what is finer than a High-hatched girl, the feathers are green and pretty, what is better to bring to the bushes and go for a twirl?**

"W-what?" Penol practically gasped as she strangled a laugh, caught between two very different reactions. _This is getting ridiculous. I'd probably get lectured back home for standing around listening to this. Even if it is kinda funny. And admittedly crude. Ugh, what am I supposed to do?_

It was then that the insufferable male began to walk towards the bushes.

Penol gave an angry hiss and snapped at the male when she felt he got too close. "Just what do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

For his part the male jumped back with widened eyes and an even more surprised scent. He stared at the female for a few tense moments before doing what she least expected.

He laughed.

"Can't fault a male for trying… I'm sure Wrok will appreciate the feistiness."

The male watched her intently, though the gaze no longer had the almost predatory gaze to it. It was almost like she was being studied. Like she was a new recruit… or prey. But yet… the eyes were not cold. They were almost amused.

Which pissed her off all the more.

"Stay away from me," Penol hissed in warning, backing away from the male. _I've got to get out out of here before I do something stupid. If this keeps up I might just attack him._

For his part the male did not advance. He merely looked at her curiously.

"You were hatched low and brought high, then?"

"More like unexpectedly dragged into it," Penol admitted, too shocked that someone had figured that out to watch her words. _And the training I got probably just saved me. If I'd lost it and attacked him, I'd end up beaten. Then killed in some some horrific manner if Wrok decides he has no interest in me. Now how do I avoid that happening anyways before I figure out how to kill him?_

"And there it is... the High Ways… deciding on the best way to tell off a guard without upsetting the esteemed pack leader?" the male asked with an infuriating smirk. Was he reading her mind?

 _Okay, something is very off here,_ Penol thought, _He's talking completely differently now. That's not normal. I stumble through what I say sometimes, but most that use High-hatched Speech are high-hatched to begin with and know no other way of speaking. This is probably going to end very badly for me._

She clicked her beak. Well, if there was one thing her cousin had taught her it was to sometimes take the initiative.

"How did a guard learn High-hatched Speech?" Penol asked, hoping to catch the male off guard.

The male's eyes gleamed as if he were pleased. "Ooooh… now that is impressive. You see right through my ploy." He then dropped the fake haughtiness. "In the outlier packs the difference between high and low is not the same as in your lands, Penol. The high rise from the low; they do not hatch from it."

He looked up with a smile. "Now my turn… why do you want to kill your cousin?"

"I don't _want_ to kill her. I just want all of this..." Penol gestured widely, as if she could encompass everything around her. "...to end."

She was not sure what to expect when the words left her mouth, but the male nodding with understanding He almost looked relieved.

"And the truth finally comes out. I knew there was more to you than an ambitious wench. That was a nice little lie to my spy though. I doubt he would have 'captured' you if he knew you were a potential liability… There are many ways for this to 'end' after all."

Penol froze in shock. _Wait... does that mean he's... I just killed myself, didn't I?_ As if to answer her question Wrok walked closer to her step, by step, by step… when he finally did stop his beak was a mere feather's breadth from her ear.

"But I quite like it. Welcome to the pack, Penol. And maybe in time you will agree that things should end in the way I prefer…"

* * *

 **The Great Valley:**

Orchid watched the young swimmers as their bodies gently rose and fell with each breath. In the fading light of the setting Bright Circle their bodies almost glowed with a verdant hue that rivalled that of the lush vegetation around him. For any onlookers and for the spirits above it was a reminder of their resolve. A swimmer herd would form a protective circle around an injured herdmate. The fact that she and her children were here said it all.

Behind them, at equidistant points, were his packmates. Cynnil, his leader, the hidden runner that he had to admit that he had just begun to understand. Buse, the hidden runner that had been endowed with an utter lack of tact, but that nonetheless was a loyal and helpful friend. And the reason he was here right now… Mender.

Her body lay where they had last treated it as its breaths came in a uniform pattern. If he ignored the scrape on her tail he could almost imagine that she was sleeping. But, as both her scent and position indicated, this was not a normal rest. This was the sleep story before the end. The 'last nap' as Mender had sometimes called it. She had seen it many times, but ultimately she could not see her own.

Orchid clinched his eyes shut, ignoring the sting of his tears. The fact that they had done all that they could do did not matter to his emotions at that moment. All that mattered was that he had failed to save his teacher and his friend. Mender had been there for countless leaf-eaters and sharpteeth alike, a healer for the ages, but in her time of need no healer could do what was necessary.

 _I'm so sorry, Mender. I will do what I can to make sure that I live up to your song._

As he dutifully continued his watch around his comrades and the living reminders of his friend's legacy, he did not notice a pair of eyes peering down at the scene from the hill above. The eyes of a young rainbowface.

The rainbowface's cold calculating eyes were gone in that moment and something else took their place.

Determination.


End file.
